Officially known as the Hughes Flying Boat, the popular name of "Spruce Goose" was not only despised by the aircraft's builder, Howard Hughes, but was also a misnomer. Most of the huge plane is actually made of birch, with only small amounts of poplar, balsa, and spruce.

Conceived as a personnel and materiel carrier, the Hughes Flying Boat was designed to fly transatlantic to avoid World War II German submarines, but the war ended before the plane was finished. It flew only one time, on November 2, 1947, in Long Beach Harbor, California, for a total distance of about 3,000 feet.

The "Spruce Goose" remains the largest aircraft ever built, as the figures below testify:

The "Spruce Goose" now resides in a specially-built hangar at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, in McMinnville, Oregon.

Questions or comments about this page?

Dream To Fly: Howard Huges and the Flying Boat (Documentary DVD)	Hughes Flying Boat	Man, Moment, Machine: Howard Hughes and the Spruce Goose

World War II

THE ROBINSON LIBRARY
Technology.--Motor Vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics.--Aeronautics. Aeronautical Engineering.--Aircraft and Aircraft Design.

About the Library | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Contact Information | Navigation Help