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74-592: In the 1940s, Howard Hughes created an R&D facility in Culver City, California . In 1959 construction started on the headquarters located on a Malibu hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The modernist white and glass building was designed by Los Angeles architect Ernest Lee. The headquarters was built by the Del E. Webb Construction Company , who built several facilities for Hughes. The laboratory opened in 1960. In 1970

148-460: A Lockheed 14 Super Electra (NX18973, a twin-engine transport with a crew of four) fitted with the latest radio and navigational equipment. Harry Connor was the co-pilot, Thomas Thurlow the navigator, Richard Stoddart the engineer, and Ed Lund the mechanic. Hughes wanted the flight to be a triumph of U.S. aviation technology, illustrating that safe, long-distance air travel was possible. Albert Lodwick of Mystic, Iowa , provided organizational skills as

222-604: A Thomas-Morse Scout while filming Hell's Angels , one while setting the airspeed record in the Hughes Racer, one at Lake Mead in 1943, and the near-fatal crash of the Hughes XF-11 in 1946. At Rogers Airport in Los Angeles, he learned to fly from pioneer aviators, including Moye Stephens and J.B. Alexander. He set many world records and commissioned the construction of custom aircraft for himself while heading Hughes Aircraft at

296-454: A missile . Although the official record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane in level flight was held by a Grumman F8F Bearcat , the Rare Bear , with a speed of 850.23 km/h (528.31 mph), the unofficial record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane in level flight is held by a British Hawker Sea Fury at 880 km/h (547 mph). Both were demilitarised and modified fighters, while

370-521: A scar on his upper lip resulting from the accident. The War Production Board , a civilian government agency that supervised war production from 1942-45, originally contracted with Henry Kaiser and Hughes to produce the gigantic HK-1 Hercules flying boat for use during World War II to transport troops and equipment across the Atlantic as an alternative to seagoing troop transport ships that were vulnerable to German U-boats . The military services opposed

444-431: A comedy picture. The Racket (1928) and The Front Page (1931) were also nominated for Academy Awards . Hughes spent $ 3.5 million to make the flying film Hell's Angels (1930). Hell's Angels received one Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography . He produced another hit, Scarface (1932), a production delayed by censors' concern over its violence. The Outlaw premiered in 1943, but

518-653: A directive to order 100 of a reconnaissance development of the D-2, known as the F-11 ( XF-11 in prototype form). The project was controversial from the beginning, as the USAAF Air Materiel Command deeply doubted that Hughes Aircraft could fulfill a contract this large, but Arnold pushed the project forward. Materiel Command demanded a host of major design changes notably including the elimination of Duramold; Hughes, who sought $ 3.9 million in reimbursement for sunk costs from

592-462: A dive on 5 February 1952. The last new speed record ratified before the outbreak of World War II was set on 26 April 1939 with a Me 209 V1, at 755 km/h (469 mph). The chaos and secrecy of World War II meant that new speed breakthroughs were neither publicized nor ratified. In October 1941, an unofficial speed record of 1,004 km/h (624 mph) was secretly set by a Messerschmitt Me 163A "V4" rocket aircraft. Continued research during

666-470: A flight around the world in just 91 hours (three days, 19 hours, 17 minutes), beating the previous record of 186 hours (seven days, 18 hours, 49 minutes) set in 1933 by Wiley Post in a single-engine Lockheed Vega by almost four days. Hughes returned home ahead of photographs of his flight. Taking off from New York City, Hughes continued to Paris, Moscow, Omsk , Yakutsk , Fairbanks , and Minneapolis , then returning to New York City. For this flight he flew

740-1004: A limited liability company, "HRL Laboratories, LLC"), with GM and Raytheon as co-owners. GM sold the Hughes satellite operations to Boeing in 2000, and the co-owners became Boeing, GM, and Raytheon. In 2007, Raytheon decided to sell its stake, though it still maintains research and contractual relations with HRL. For more details, please see Hughes Aircraft . HRL receives funding from its LLC partners, US government contracts, and other commercial customers. HRL Laboratories, LLC received its first patent on September 12, 2000. HRL focuses on advanced developments in microelectronics , information and systems sciences , materials, sensors , and photonics ; their workspace spans from basic research to product delivery. It has particularly emphasized capabilities in high performance integrated circuits , high power lasers , antennas, networking , quantum information science , and smart materials . Despite downsizing during

814-458: A month, but Durkin's daughter denied knowing that he received any money from Hughes. Despite his physical injuries, Hughes took pride that his mind was still working. As he lay in his hospital bed, he decided that he did not like the bed's design. He called in plant engineers to design a customized bed, equipped with hot and cold running water, built in six sections, and operated by 30 electric motors, with push-button adjustments. Hughes designed

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888-735: A more refined cosmopolitan city. In addition to the Desert Inn, Hughes would eventually own the Sands , Frontier , Silver Slipper , Castaways , and Landmark and Harold's Club in Reno. During his four years in Las Vegas, Hughes became the largest employer in Nevada. Another portion of Hughes' commercial interests involved aviation, airlines, and the aerospace and defense industries. A lifelong aircraft enthusiast and pilot, Hughes survived four airplane accidents: one in

962-531: A network of radio stations known as the RKO Radio Network . In 1948, Hughes gained control of RKO, a struggling major Hollywood studio, by acquiring the 929,000 shares owned by Floyd Odlum 's Atlas Corporation , for $ 8,825,000 ($ 107,165,160 in 2023). Within weeks of acquiring the studio, Hughes dismissed 700 employees. Production dwindled to 9 pictures during the first year of Hughes' control; previously RKO had averaged 30 per year. That same year, 1948, he

1036-429: A number of weight categories. There are still further subdivisions for piston-engined , turbojet , turboprop , and rocket-engined aircraft. Within each of these groups, records are defined for speed over a straight course and for closed circuits of various sizes carrying various payloads. Gray text indicates unofficial records, including unconfirmed or unpublicized war secrets. The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird holds

1110-506: A severe gash on the top of his head when he hit the upper control panel and had to be rescued by one of the others on board. Hughes paid divers $ 100,000 to raise the aircraft and later spent more than $ 500,000 restoring it. Hughes sent the plane to Houston, where it remained for many years. Acting on a recommendation of the president's son, Colonel Elliott Roosevelt , who had become friends with Hughes, in September 1943 General Arnold issued

1184-420: A short film, Swell Hogan , which Graves had written and would star in. Hughes himself produced it. When he screened it, he thought it was a disaster. After hiring a film editor to try to salvage it, he finally ordered that it be destroyed. His next two films, Everybody's Acting (1926) and Two Arabian Knights (1927), achieved financial success; the latter won the first Academy Award for Best Director of

1258-611: A teenager at 3921 Yoakum Blvd., Houston, still stands, now known as Hughes House on the grounds of the University of St. Thomas . His mother Allene died in March 1922 from complications of an ectopic pregnancy . Howard Hughes Sr. died of a heart attack in 1924. Their deaths apparently inspired Hughes to include the establishment of a medical research laboratory in the will that he signed in 1925 at age 19. Howard Sr.'s will had not been updated since Allene's death, and Hughes Jr. inherited 75% of

1332-557: Is maintained through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was the only child of Allene Stone Gano (1883–1922) and of Howard R. Hughes Sr. (1869–1924), a successful inventor and businessman from Missouri. He had English , Welsh and some French Huguenot ancestry, and was a descendant of John Gano (1727–1804), the minister who allegedly baptized George Washington . Through John Gano's sister Sussanah, Hughes

1406-424: Is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which also ratifies any claims. Speed records are divided into a number of classes with sub-divisions. There are three classes of aircraft: landplanes, seaplanes , and amphibians , and within these classes there are records for aircraft in

1480-556: The Beverly Hills neighborhood surrounding the country club. When the XF-11 finally came to a halt after destroying three houses, the fuel tanks exploded, setting fire to the aircraft and a nearby home at 808 North Whittier Drive owned by Charles E. Meyer. Hughes managed to pull himself out of the flaming wreckage but lay beside the aircraft until he was rescued by U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant William L. Durkin, who happened to be in

1554-568: The Fiat AS.6 engine (version 1934) developing a power of 2,300 kW (3,100 hp) at 3,300 rpm, with coaxial counter-rotating propellers. The original record holding Macchi-Castoldi M.C.72 MM.181 seaplane is at the Air Force Museum at Vigna di Valle in Italy. Both Tu-116 and Tu-142 claim higher maximum speeds. Flying between any two airports allow a large number of combinations , so setting

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1628-707: The H-4 Hercules . The weather conditions at the lake during the day were ideal and he enjoyed Las Vegas at night. On May 17, 1943, Hughes flew the Sikorsky from California, carrying two Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) aviation inspectors, two of his employees, and actress Ava Gardner . Hughes dropped Gardner off in Las Vegas and proceeded to Lake Mead to conduct qualifying tests in the S-43. The test flight did not go well. The Sikorsky crashed into Lake Mead, killing CAA inspector Ceco Cline and Hughes' employee Richard Felt. Hughes suffered

1702-578: The Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932, hiring numerous engineers, designers, and defense contractors . He spent the rest of the 1930s and much of the 1940s setting multiple world air speed records and building the Hughes H-1 Racer (1935) and the gigantic H-4 Hercules (the Spruce Goose , 1947), the largest flying boat in history with the longest wingspan of any aircraft from the time it

1776-507: The Hughes Research Laboratories , which focused on advanced developments in microelectronics, information & systems sciences, materials, sensors, and photonics; their work-space spans from basic research to product delivery. It has particularly emphasized capabilities in high-performance integrated circuits, high-power lasers, antennas, networking, and smart materials. On July 14, 1938, Hughes set another record by completing

1850-670: The Hughes Space and Communications Company in 1961. In 1953 Howard Hughes gave all his stock in the Hughes Aircraft Company to the newly formed Howard Hughes Medical Institute, thereby turning the aerospace and defense contractor into a tax-exempt charitable organization. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute sold Hughes Aircraft in 1985 to General Motors for $ 5.2 billion. In 1997 General Motors sold Hughes Aircraft to Raytheon and in 2000, sold Hughes Space & Communications to Boeing. A combination of Boeing, GM, and Raytheon acquired

1924-698: The Hughes Tool Company in 1909. Hughes' uncle was the famed novelist, screenwriter, and film director Rupert Hughes . A 1941 affidavit birth certificate of Hughes, signed by his aunt Annette Gano Lummis and by Estelle Boughton Sharp, states that he was born on December 24, 1905, in Harris County, Texas . However, his certificate of baptism , recorded on October 7, 1906, in the parish register of St. John's Episcopal Church in Keokuk, Iowa , listed his date of birth as September 24, 1905, without any reference to

1998-681: The Hughes Tool Company purchased the North Las Vegas Air Terminal. Originally known as Summa Corporation , the Howard Hughes Corporation formed in 1972 when the oil-tools business of Hughes Tool Company, then owned by Howard Hughes Jr., floated on the New York Stock Exchange under the "Hughes Tool" name. This forced the remaining businesses of the "original" Hughes Tool to adopt a new corporate name: "Summa". The name "Summa"—Latin for "highest"—was adopted without

2072-620: The William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas —known at the time as Houston Municipal Airport—was renamed after Hughes, but the name was changed back due to public outrage over naming the airport after a living person. Hughes also had a role in the financing of the Boeing 307 Stratoliner for TWA, and the design and financing of the Lockheed L-049 Constellation . Other aviator awards include:

2146-538: The airport in Glendale , CA. Operating from there, the most technologically important aircraft he commissioned was the Hughes H-1 Racer . On September 13, 1935, Hughes, flying the H-1, set the landplane airspeed record of 352 mph (566 km/h) over his test course near Santa Ana, California ( Giuseppe Motta reaching 362 mph in 1929 and George Stainforth reached 407.5 mph in 1931, both in seaplanes). This marked

2220-551: The flight operations manager. While Hughes had previously been relatively obscure despite his wealth, better known for dating Katharine Hepburn , New York City now gave him a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes . Hughes and his crew were awarded the 1938 Collier Trophy for flying around the world in record time. He was awarded the Harmon Trophy in 1936 and 1938 for the record-breaking global circumnavigation. In 1938

2294-553: The 45-minute limit decreed by the USAAF, possibly distracted by landing gear retraction problems. An oil leak caused one of the contra-rotating propellers to reverse pitch, causing the aircraft to yaw sharply and lose altitude rapidly. Hughes attempted to save the aircraft by landing it at the Los Angeles Country Club golf course, but just seconds before reaching the course, the XF-11 started to drop dramatically and crashed in

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2368-532: The 51 Heroes of Aviation, ranked at No. 25. During his final years, Hughes extended his financial empire to include several major businesses in Las Vegas , such as real estate, hotels, casinos, and media outlets. Known at the time as one of the most powerful men in the state of Nevada, he is largely credited with transforming Las Vegas into a more refined cosmopolitan city. After years of mental and physical decline, Hughes died of kidney failure in 1976. His legacy

2442-725: The Bibesco Cup of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938, the Octave Chanute Award in 1940, and a special Congressional Gold Medal in 1939 "in recognition of the achievements of Howard Hughes in advancing the science of aviation and thus bringing great credit to his country throughout the world". President Harry S. Truman sent the Congressional medal to Hughes after the F-11 crash. After his around-the-world flight, Hughes had declined to go to

2516-405: The D-2 and powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-4360 -31 engines, each driving a set of contra-rotating propellers . Only two prototypes were completed; the second one had a conventional single propeller per side. Hughes was almost killed on July 7, 1946, while performing the first flight of the XF-11 near Hughes Airfield at Culver City, California . Hughes extended the test flight well beyond

2590-534: The D-2 returned to the hangar for extensive changes to its wings, and Hughes proposed to redesignate it as the D-5. However, in November 1944, the still-incomplete D-2 was destroyed in a hangar fire reportedly caused by a lightning strike. In the spring of 1943 Hughes spent nearly a month in Las Vegas , test-flying his Sikorsky S-43 amphibious aircraft, practicing touch-and-go landings on Lake Mead in preparation for flying

2664-444: The D-2, strenuously objected because this undercut his argument that the XF-11 was a modified D-2 rather than a new design. Protracted negotiations caused months of delays but ultimately yielded few design concessions. The war ended before the first XF-11 prototype was completed and the F-11 production contract was canceled. The XF-11 emerged in 1946 as an all-metal, twin-boom, three-seat reconnaissance aircraft, substantially larger than

2738-648: The H-1 Racer was donated to the Smithsonian . In 1932 Hughes founded the Hughes Aircraft Company , a division of Hughes Tool Company, in a rented corner of a Lockheed Aircraft Corporation hangar in Burbank, California, to build the H-1 racer. Shortly after founding the company, Hughes used the alias "Charles Howard" to accept a job as a baggage handler for American Airlines. He was soon promoted to co-pilot. Hughes continued to work for American Airlines until his real identity

2812-563: The Me 163B V18 was officially surpassed in November 1947, when Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 to 1,434 km/h (891 mph). The official speed record for a seaplane moved by piston engine is 709.209 km/h (440.682 mph), which attained on 24 October 1934, by Francesco Agello in the Macchi-Castoldi M.C.72 seaplane ("idrocorsa") and it remains the current record. It was equipped with

2886-590: The USAAC) struggled to define a mission for the D-2, which lacked both the maneuverability of a fighter and the payload of a bomber , and was highly skeptical of the extensive use of plywood; however, the project was kept alive by high-level intervention from General Henry H. Arnold . The prototype was brought to Harper's Dry Lake in California in great secrecy in 1943 and first flew on June 20 of that year. The initial test flights revealed serious flight control problems, so

2960-570: The Webb Construction Company built the second building. In 1984 the U.S. Federal Courts declared in a court case that the Howard Hughes Medical Institute must divest itself of Hughes Aircraft Company and subsidiaries in order to retain its non-profit status. This led to General Motors purchasing Hughes Aircraft in 1985. GM sold the Hughes aerospace and defense operations to Raytheon in 1997, and spun off Hughes Research Laboratories (legally renamed and organized on December 17, 1997 as

3034-535: The White House to collect it. Development of the D-2 began around 1937, but little is known about its early gestation because Hughes' archives on the aircraft have not been made public. Aircraft historian René Francillon speculates that Hughes designed the aircraft for another circumnavigation record attempt, but the outbreak of World War II closed much of the world's airspace and made it difficult to buy aircraft parts without government approval, so he decided to sell

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3108-469: The aerospace industry's contraction of the 1990s, HRL still continued to be the largest employer in Malibu. Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American aerospace engineer , business magnate , film producer , investor , philanthropist and aircraft pilot . He was best known during his lifetime as one of the richest and most influential people in

3182-495: The aircraft to the U.S. Army instead. In December 1939, Hughes proposed that the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) procure it as a "pursuit type airplane" (i.e. a fighter aircraft ). It emerged as a two or three-seat twin-boom aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 -49 engines and constructed mostly of Duramold , a type of molded plywood . The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF, successor to

3256-485: The approval of Hughes himself, who preferred to keep his own name on the business, and suggested "HRH Properties" (for Hughes Resorts and Hotels, and also his own initials). In 1988 Summa announced plans for Summerlin , a master-planned community named for the paternal grandmother of Howard Hughes, Jean Amelia Summerlin. Initially staying in the Desert Inn , Hughes refused to vacate his room, and instead decided to purchase

3330-503: The area visiting friends. Hughes sustained significant injuries in the crash, including a crushed collar bone , multiple cracked ribs, crushed chest with collapsed left lung, shifting his heart to the right side of the chest cavity, and numerous third-degree burns . An oft-told story said that Hughes sent a check to the Marine weekly for the remainder of his life as a sign of gratitude. Noah Dietrich asserted that Hughes did send Durkin $ 200

3404-439: The company agree to remove the production of the film Jet Pilot from David O. Selznick to Hughes. Hughes produced the film during the years 1949-1950 and owned RKO and in turn the distribution for the film. However, the film was not released until 1957 by Universal Pictures due in part to the subsequent events that would take place at RKO Distribution , and largely due the extra aerial film footage that had been filmed over

3478-469: The entire hotel. Hughes extended his financial empire to include Las Vegas real estate, hotels, and media outlets, spending an estimated $ 300 million, and using his considerable powers to acquire many of the well-known hotels, especially the venues connected with organized crime . He quickly became one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He was instrumental in changing the image of Las Vegas from its Wild West and, later, Mafia / organized crime roots into

3552-488: The family fortune. On his 19th birthday, Hughes was declared an emancipated minor , enabling him to take full control of his life. From a young age, Hughes became a proficient and enthusiastic golfer. He often scored near-par figures, playing the game to a two-three handicap during his 20s, and for a time aimed for a professional golf career. He golfed frequently with top players, including Gene Sarazen . Hughes rarely played competitively and gradually gave up his passion for

3626-498: The fastest stock (original, factory-built) piston-engined aeroplane was unofficially the Supermarine Spiteful F Mk 16, which "achieved a speed of 494m.p.h. at 28,500ft during official tests at Boscombe Down" in level flight. The unofficial record for fastest piston-engined aeroplane (not in level flight) is held by a Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIX, which was calculated to have achieved a speed of 1,110 km/h (690 mph) in

3700-571: The first boy in Houston to have a "motorized" bicycle, which he had built from parts of his father's steam engine . He was an indifferent student, with a liking for mathematics, flying, and mechanics. He took his first flying lesson at 14, and attended Fessenden School in Massachusetts in 1921. After a brief stint at The Thacher School , Hughes attended math and aeronautical engineering courses at Caltech . The red-brick house where Hughes lived as

3774-552: The first working laser, aircraft computer systems, missile systems, ion-propulsion engines (for space travel), commercial satellites, and other electronics systems. In 1948 Hughes created a new division of Hughes Aircraft: the Hughes Aerospace Group. The Hughes Space and Communications Group and the Hughes Space Systems Division were later spun off in 1948 to form their own divisions and ultimately became

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3848-552: The flight was 322 mph (518 km/h). The H-1 Racer featured a number of design innovations: it had retractable landing gear (as Boeing Monomail had five years before), and all rivets and joints set flush into the body of the aircraft to reduce drag. The H-1 Racer is thought to have influenced the design of a number of World War II fighters such as the Mitsubishi A6M Zero , Focke-Wulf Fw 190 , and F8F Bearcat , although that has never been reliably confirmed. In 1975

3922-465: The hospital bed specifically to alleviate the pain caused by moving with severe burn injuries. He never used the bed that he designed. Hughes' doctors considered his recovery almost miraculous. Many attribute his long-term dependence on opiates to his use of codeine as a painkiller during his convalescence. Yet Dietrich asserts that Hughes recovered the "hard way—no sleeping pills, no opiates of any kind". The trademark mustache he wore afterward hid

3996-432: The last time in history that an aircraft built by a private individual set the world airspeed record. A year and a half later, on January 19, 1937, flying the same H-1 Racer fitted with longer wings, Hughes set a new transcontinental airspeed record by flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Newark in seven hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds (beating his own previous record of nine hours, 27 minutes). His average ground-speed over

4070-572: The late 1920s, when he produced big-budget and often controversial films such as The Racket (1928), Hell's Angels (1930), and Scarface (1932). He later acquired the RKO Pictures film studio in 1948, recognized then as one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age , although the production company struggled under his control and ultimately ceased operations in 1957. Through his interest in aviation and aerospace travel, Hughes formed

4144-700: The limited budgets required to make such films during Hughes' tenure. Hughes reportedly walked away from RKO having made $ 6.5 million in personal profit. According to Noah Dietrich , Hughes made a $ 10,000,000 profit from the sale of the theaters and made a profit of $ 1,000,000 from his 7-year ownership of RKO. According to Noah Dietrich , "Land became a principal asset for the Hughes empire". Hughes acquired 1200 acres in Culver City for Hughes Aircraft, bought 7 sections [4,480 acres] in Tucson for his Falcon missile-plant, and purchased 25,000 acres near Las Vegas. In 1968,

4218-508: The longest wingspan of any aircraft (the next-largest wingspan was about 310 ft (94 m)). (The Hercules is no longer the longest nor heaviest aircraft ever built - surpassed by the Antonov An-225 Mriya produced in 1985.) The Hercules flew only once for one mile (1.6 km), and 70 feet (21 m) above the water, with Hughes at the controls, on November 2, 1947. Flight airspeed record An air speed record

4292-643: The movie industry, disrupted studio operations at RKO even further. In 1953, Hughes became involved with a high-profile lawsuit as part of the settlement of the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. Antitrust Case. As a result of the hearings, the shaky status of RKO became increasingly apparent. A steady stream of lawsuits from RKO's minority shareholders had grown to become extremely annoying to Hughes. They had accused him of financial misconduct and corporate mismanagement. Since Hughes wanted to focus primarily on his aircraft manufacturing and TWA holdings during

4366-526: The official Air Speed Record for a crewed airbreathing jet engine aircraft with a speed of 3,530 km/h (2,190 mph). The record was set on 28 July 1976 by Eldon W. Joersz and George T. Morgan Jr. near Beale Air Force Base, California , USA . It was able to take off and land unassisted on conventional runways. SR-71 pilot Brian Shul claimed in The Untouchables that he flew in excess of Mach 3.5 on 15 April 1986, over Libya , in order to avoid

4440-423: The place of birth. At a young age, Hughes Jr. showed interest in science and technology. In particular, he had a great engineering aptitude, and built Houston's first "wireless" radio transmitter at age 11. He went on to be one of the first licensed ham-radio operators in Houston, having the assigned callsign W5CY (originally 5CY). At 12, Hughes was photographed for the local newspaper, which identified him as

4514-567: The project, thinking it would siphon resources from higher-priority programs, but Hughes' powerful allies in Washington, D.C. advocated it. After disputes, Kaiser withdrew from the project and Hughes elected to continue it as the H-4 Hercules. However, the aircraft was not completed until after World War II. The Hercules was the world's largest flying boat, the largest aircraft made from wood, and, at 319 feet 11 inches (97.51 m), had

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4588-404: The rights to pictures that he had personally produced, including those made at RKO. He also retained Jane Russell's contract. For Howard Hughes, this was the virtual end of his 25-year involvement in the motion-picture industry. However, his reputation as a financial wizard emerged unscathed. During that time period, RKO became known as the home of classic film noir productions, thanks in part to

4662-734: The sport to pursue other interests. Hughes played golf every afternoon at LA courses including the Lakeside Golf Club, Wilshire Country Club , or the Bel-Air Country Club . Partners included George Von Elm or Ozzie Carlton. After Hughes hurt himself in the late 1920s, his golfing tapered off, and after his XF-11 crash, Hughes was unable to play at all. Hughes withdrew from Rice University shortly after his father's death. On June 1, 1925, he married Ella Botts Rice, daughter of David Rice and Martha Lawson Botts of Houston, and great-niece of William Marsh Rice , for whom Rice University

4736-623: The war extended the secret, unofficial speed record to 1,130 km/h (700 mph) by July 1944, achieved by a Messerschmitt Me 163B "V18". The first new official record in the post-war period was achieved by a Gloster Meteor F Mk.4 in November 1945, at 975 km/h (606 mph). The first aircraft to exceed the unofficial October 1941 record of the Me 163A V4 was the Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak , which achieved 1,032 km/h (641 mph) in August 1947. The July 1944 unofficial record of

4810-479: The world . He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry. Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle—oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness . As a film tycoon, Hughes gained fame in Hollywood beginning in

4884-463: The years after the film's 1950 completion. Hughes was undertaking a final edit before the 1957 release. After his acquisition of RKO, Hughes shut down production at the studio for six months, during which time he ordered investigations into the political leanings of every remaining RKO employee. Only after ensuring that the stars under contract to RKO had no suspect affiliations would Hughes approve completed pictures to be sent back for re-shooting. This

4958-562: The years of the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, Hughes offered to buy out all other RKO stockholders in order to dispense with their distractions . By the end of 1954, Hughes had gained near-total control of RKO at a cost of nearly $ 24 million, becoming the first sole owner of a major Hollywood studio since the silent-film era . Six months later Hughes sold the studio to the General Tire and Rubber Company for $ 25 million. Hughes retained

5032-488: Was a 5th cousin once-removed of the Wright brothers , Orville and Wilbur, who invented the first successful airplane. Hughes Sr. patented the two-cone roller bit in 1909, which allowed rotary drilling for petroleum in previously inaccessible places. The senior Hughes made the shrewd and lucrative decision to commercialize the invention by leasing the bits instead of selling them, obtaining several early patents, and founding

5106-408: Was able to arrange for his previous films with United Artists (UA), The Outlaw , Mad Wednesday , and Vendetta to be transferred to RKO. In exchange for the three completed being removed from UA distribution, Hughes and James and Theodore Nasser of General Service Studios would provide the financing of three independent films for distribution by UA. In terms of negotiations directly with RKO,

5180-677: Was built until 2019. He acquired and expanded Trans World Airlines and later acquired Air West , renaming it Hughes Airwest. Hughes won the Harmon Trophy on two occasions (1936 and 1938), the Collier Trophy (1938), and the Congressional Gold Medal (1939) all for his achievements in aviation throughout the 1930s. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973 and was included in Flying magazine's 2013 list of

5254-467: Was discovered. During and after World War II Hughes turned his company into a major defense contractor. The Hughes Helicopters division started in 1947 when helicopter manufacturer Kellett sold their latest design to Hughes for production. Hughes Aircraft became a major U.S. aerospace- and defense contractor, manufacturing numerous technology-related products that included spacecraft vehicles, military aircraft, radar systems, electro-optical systems,

5328-417: Was especially true of the women under contract to RKO at that time. If Hughes felt that his stars did not properly represent the political views of his liking or if a film's anti-communist politics were not sufficiently clear, he pulled the plug. In 1952, an abortive sale to a Chicago-based five-man syndicate, two of whom had a history of complaints about their business practices and none with any experience in

5402-531: Was named. They moved to Los Angeles, where he hoped to make a name for himself as a filmmaker. They moved into the Ambassador Hotel , and Hughes proceeded to learn to fly a Waco , while simultaneously producing his first motion picture, Swell Hogan . Hughes enjoyed a highly successful business career beyond engineering, aviation and filmmaking; many of his career endeavors involved varying entrepreneurial roles. Ralph Graves persuaded Hughes to finance

5476-529: Was not released nationally until 1946. The film featured Jane Russell , who received considerable attention from industry censors, this time owing to her revealing costumes. From the 1940s to the late 1950s, the Hughes Tool Company ventured into the film industry when it obtained partial ownership of the RKO companies, which included RKO Pictures, RKO Studios, a chain of movie theaters known as RKO Theatres and

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