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Michael  O'Leary   Air Classics.

How Howard Hughes And A Faithful Crew Set A Global Flight Record In A Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra

 

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During 1937, life was very, very good for Howard R. Hughes. He was making money, setting aviation records, creating movies, buying companies... everything seemed to be going right for the person whom has been described as "America's first billionaire." At the time, Hughes was living with actress Katharine Hepburn and they began discussing a plan that Hughes had been considering for some time - a record-shattering flight around the globe.

Some consideration was given to utilizing Hughes's Sikorsky S-43, with appropriate modifications, for the flight but in the late 1930s aviation was changing at a very, very rapid rate and more modem aircraft with much greater performance were in production.

Out in Burbank, California, Lockheed Aircraft Co. was attempting to create a new aircraft that would reap more profits than had the Models 10 and 12. Although ahead of their time, these planes were quickly eclipsed by the DC-2/-3 from crosstown rival Douglas. Lockheed always liked high performance and designers Hall Hibbard and Kelly Johnson wanted to create a new plane that would compete with the DC-2. However, cash flow was slow and work proceeded in stops and starts. In order to gain high performance, the team decided to utilize a highly-loaded wing that would have a much smaller span than the Douglas rival. In order to get needed approach and landing speeds, the wing would be fitted with Fowler flaps which safety reduced speed while also creating extra wing area when deployed. The cabin was designed to accommodate 14 passengers or 10/11 when a galley and flight attendant were installed.

Designated Model 14 and named Super Electra, construction started in early 1937 and the prototype - fitted with Pratt & Whitney Hornet SlE-G radials of 874-hp each for takeoff - made its first flight from Burbank on 29 July 1937 with Marshall Headle at the controls. Flight testing progressed smoothly but the plane would not be a commercial success. For reasons outside the scope of this article, the Model 14 simply could not compete with the DC-3.

However, the high performance of the new craft caught the attention of Hughes and he sent representatives to the factory for initial discussions. At the time, Hughes maintained hangars at nearby Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, only a couple of miles away.

The production run of the Super Electra would be completed as airliners except for four aircraft which were designated Model 14-N. These Super Electras would be fitted with Wright Cyclone G series engines which offered a big upgrade in power - 1100-hp for takeoff and 900-hp between 6000 and 6700 feet. Three of these aircraft were outfitted as deluxe executive aircraft but the fourth aircraft was specially built for Hughes and designated Model 14-N2 with GR1820-G 102 radials.

Hughes knew that to make the flight in the fastest amount of time, he would also have to make the fewest stops possible. Accordingly, the machine would have its normal four integral wing fuel tanks supplemented by carefully designed fuel tanks to be fitted in the fuselage. These tanks would take the standard fuel load from 644 gallons to 1844 gallons. Also, there was accommodation for extra oil.

Since there were lots of new developments in avionics, the Model 14-N2 would be fitted with the latest radio and navigation equipment, Later, Hughes would comment, "The most advanced and newest equipment developed by navigators and radio engineers furnished me with such accurate information as to the position of the plane at all times that I estimate for the total trip we traveled only 20 miles more than a direct course between the various points at which we stopped."

The actual order for the Model 14-N2 was signed in midOctober 1937 after long conferences with the men most involved in the extensive

planning for the flight Hughes, of course; Al Lodwick, vice president of the Aviation Manufacturing dCorp.; W.C. Rockefeller; Glenn Odekirk; Dick Palmer; Stan Bell; Dick Stoddard; Ed Lund, and others.

Some of the special equipment Hughes already had on hand at that time while the rest of it went forward with the progress of the aircraft itself. Every emergency requirement that steering committee could conceive was listed as required performance of each element. Hughes commented, "The airplane was fast because it was the product of over 200,000 engineering hours. Young men trained mostly at the California Institute of Technology, working in a factory in California, put in 200,000 hours of concentrated thought to develop that machine."

By February 1938, Hughes had definitely decided upon the men who would go with him. Most of them were already friends. All of them were specially qualified for the tasks they would have to perform.

Edward Lund, 32, would be the flight engineer. Originally from Calispell, Montana, Lund drifted to California as a teenager. He got his first aviation job at Clover Field in Santa Monica. In the following years, he rose to the head of the metal department at the Thunderbird Airplane Company. In 1929, he became shop superintendent for Timm Airplane Company, later the Pacific Airmotive Corp. He joined Hughes in time to work on the H- racer which set the land plane speed record in September 1935 and remained with Hughes until September 1937 when he became general manager of the eastern branch of the Charles H. Babb Co. From that post, he took leave of absence for the flight.

Richard Stoddard, 37, radio engineer, was the first man to receive (in 1928) a combination air transport and radio operator's license. A professional radio man since the age of 14, Stoddard had put in many years operating commercial and ships' radio stations. In the late 1920s, he tried a career of active piloting, gave it up to take a job with NBC in 1932. He had lent Hughes aid in radio installations of former Hughes aircraft, and undertook the development of the special radio equipment that would be needed for the record flight.

Tom Thurlow, 33, co-navigator, graduated from Stanford University in 1928, entered the Army Air Corps that year, graduating from Kelly Field the following June. During 1930 and 1931, he was in the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, later becoming instructor at the Advance Navigation Training School. In July 1936, he was attached to the Instrument Navigation Unit at Wright Field and joined Hughes from that position.

Harry Connor, 38, co-navigator, held a master's certificate since 1925 and had a long nautical career behind him. In 1930, he was Roger Williams's navigator on the first flight from New York to Bermuda. The same year, he accompanied Capt. Boyd on the first Canada to England flight. In 1934, he left the sea to become associated with Edward Armstrong's plans to build floating seadromes in the middle of the oceans to facilitate air travel.

By May 1938, the aircraft was basically ready with most of the specialized avionics installed. The aircraft, registered NX18973, started undergoing flight testing at Burbank with loads up to 24,500-lbs. Arrangements had been completed for a supply of 100-octane fuel in New York, for stores of spare engine parts in Fairbanks, and Rockefeller and Perrine headed to New York to help Al Lodwick with the actual arrangements at the World's Fair headquarters. Hughes had made a very clever arrangement with Grover Whalen, the main promoter of the World's Fair. The Fair would be a huge event that was signaling the emergence of the world from the effects of the Great Depression so what better way to advertise the Fair than a stunning record flight around the globe? Much publicity would be garnered for everyone involved.

By the time Hughes and his crew were ready to fly across the country with a single stop at Wichita, the weather and radio had been clicking off a worldwide weather map every 24 hours. By the time the Model 14N-2 departed Burbank, the weather and radio systems were working as the builders hoped.

On 4 July 1938, the Lockheed departed Burbank for New York and the flight went smoothly. Landing at Floyd Bennett Field, the aircraft was met by thousands of spectators and the popular Grover Whalen. Unfortunately, one of the Wright radials had developed some mechanical problems and the departure was delayed until they could be rectified.

Although the newspapers reported that Hughes was working on the plane and studying aeronautical charts, that was not exactly the truth. Showing the streak of strangeness that would rapidly develop in coming years, Hughes spent days comparing nutritional values of over a dozen types of breads! Having finally determined which bread had the most vitamins, he ordered sandwiches made for the trip.

On 10 July, everything was ready. The weather in New York City was hot and humid when Hughes and his crew arrived at Hangar 7 where the plane was being kept. Thousands were on hand for the takeoff and Grover Whalen dramatically christened the Lockheed New York World's Fair 1939 (which had been painted on the nose, along with the Fair's very recognizable logo, the previous day). Hughes got up on the podium and stated, "We hope that our flight may prove a contribution to the cause of friendship between nations and that through their outstanding fliers, for whom the common bond of aviation transcends national boundaries, this cause may be furthered."

After speeches, the crew boarded the Lockheed and warmed up the engines. At 13 seconds past 7:19 pm, Hughes advanced the throttles and the Lockheed began to lumber down the runway. However, due to its heavy weight, the Lockheed stayed on the ground and went off the end of the paved runway, traveling through mud and dirt before finally lifting off. Hughes initially turned north and flew over Katharine Hepburn's family home before turning east over the Atlantic.

The flight made aeronautical history the instant Hughes lifted the Lockheed from Floyd Bennett. Its gross weight of 25,600-lbs gave it a wing loading of no less than 47 lbs per sq ft, a load long foreseen and accepted by the technical staff. What it meant was a 125 mph takeoff speed and, later, a 175 mph cruise in the early stages of the flight. Since this last figure was somewhat higher than had been forecast, Hughes actually seems to have had some worry - not of exhausting the fuel before reaching land, but of arriving in Paris with less than the 200-gallon minimum which had been decided upon.

Outside of a radio antenna breaking at Fairbanks and again at Minneapolis, the Floyd Bennett takeoff produced the only major mechanical difficulty of the record flight. Reasoning Floyd Bennett's shorter runway (which wind direction required him to use) might not be sufficient to get the required 125 mph liftoff speed, Hughes taxied the Lockheed out into the grass before beginning the takeoff run.

The crew felt a shock as the Lockheed's tail wheel went into a depression, but no one considered this serious. In Paris, French mechanics found the fitting by which the strut was fastened to the bulkhead which carried it had been broken through. The French shrugged their shoulders in despair, but Ed Lund and an American Army mechanic named Cook, providentially on the spot, pitched in and fixed the problem with an emergency repair using a few pieces of angle iron.

The navigating task turned out to be particularly interesting. After a brief glimpse of Boston Harbor, the crew saw nothing of the Atlantic Ocean until they had crossed Ireland. Flying high above a solid overcast placed a premium on cetestial and radio methods, but the Lockheed hit its calculated landfall on time.

When he neared Le Bourget, Hughes lowered the nose of the Lockheed and increased speed to 242 mph before preparing for a smooth landing. Just eleven years earlier, Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis had made the epic crossing of the Atlantic and touched down at Le Bourget. The Lockheed had made the crossing in 16 hours and 38 minutes, half of Lindbergh's time.

The next leg of the trip would take the plane over Germany. Notified earlier, the Nazis did not like the idea of the flight since they felt the Lockheed might be loaded with cameras to spy on their new and numerous military facilities. The Germans had already annexed Austria and moved into a portion of Czechoslovakia but an agreement was made that the Lockheed would cross German territory at 12,000 feet - an altitude the Germans felt would preclude spying. However, Luftwaffe fighters did shadow the Lockheed as it sped over Nazi territory.

From Paris, the next stop was Moscow and the plane covered the 1675 miles in 7 hours and 51 minutes. Landing in Moscow at 11:15 am, excited Russians greeted the Lockheed and quickly began to service the craft while Hughes and the crew were treated to a breakfast of Corn Flakes! After checking over the Lockheed, the crew was back into the air at 1:31 pm and heading for the hostile wastes of Siberia. Now over 48 hours into their hectic journey, the crew was starting to feel the effects of fatigue. Hughes would not relinquish control of the craft, probably more out of ego than any other reason. The next 1380 miles to the refueling stop at Omsk, which was enshrouded in heavy rain, was achieved in 7 hours and 30 minutes.

The planned next stop was the remote town of Yakutsk and as they approached the airstrip, the crew was impressed by the desolate natural beauty of the area. A successful landing was accomplished after 10 hours and 31 minutes were required to cover the 2177 miles. The crew was dismayed that a translator was not present and it took a lot of gesturing to indicate the plane needed fuel.

For some reason, it seems that the supply of aviation fuel was either not in place or could not be found by residents. The plane had to be filled with regular fuel but the crew had cans of ethyl stored in the cabin and they mixed that mixture into the tanks.

Taking off, the crew felt relieved they had eliminated that problem but disaster nearly loomed ahead. The crew had been reading their charts for the area as if they were in feet but they were actually in meters as they neared the towering Vorkhyansk Mountains. Hughes was flying at 6500 feet since the tops of the mountains were apparently at 7000 feet - actually it was 7000 meters! Thurlow, watching the situation outside, yelled out a warning and Hughes, seeing the problem, immediately applied full power to the Lockheed, which was now very heavy with its new fuel load. The Lockheed hurled over the 9700-foot crest with very little room to spare. If they had not been delayed in Paris for repairs, they would have been flying at night and probably would have flown right into the mountains. This was a bit of extra adrenaline the crew did not need but the incident did wake them up and sharpen their instincts.

The next stop was Fairbanks, Alaska, and the 2456 miles was covered in 12 hours and 17 minutes. By now the crew was more than exhausted but their spirits were more than lifted when they were met by the widow of Wiley Post. Post, of course, held the record for his 1933 global flight and Mae Post wished the flyers well. Refueling completed, the Lockheed once again roared airborne and headed for Winnipeg, Canada.

Fortunately, the weather reporting system and the radios were working and the crew found that a freak storm was blanketing much of Manitoba and Winnipeg was completely covered. Thurlow got busy with his navigation charts and planned a new route to Minneapolis, Minnesota. With almost no warning, the Lockheed dropped into Minneapolis and quickly refueled. This leg covered 2441 miles in 12 hours 1 minute. Only the local newspaper reporter was on hand and he got a real scoop as the crew rushed to resupply the Lockheed with fuel and oil.

The final leg was the shortest and most important - 1054 miles to Floyd Bennett Field in New York. The flight went perfectly and over Pennsylvania, Hughes pushed the aircraft's nose down to achieve the maximum amount of speed. Flashing over Floyd Bennett, the crew was astounded to see a crowd of over 20,000 swarming over the airport. Rather than land in the preselected area and risk the possibility of hitting the milling spectators, Hughes landed long but this set off a stampede that the police lines could not handle. Fortunately, they managed to form a half-circle in front of the craft as Hughes slowly taxied to the parking ramp, cautiously watching so as not to hit anyone with the whirling propellers.

Once the engines were shut down, the weary crew emerged from the cabin to rousing cheers and were greeted by Grover Whalen and city officials. They had set a new around the world record of three days, 19 hours, 8 minutes, and 10 seconds!

After a few words to the public, the crew was rushed to Whalen's home before being taken to their hotel. However, as usual, Hughes had other plans. He excused himself by saying he was going to change his shirt. What he actually did was leave the house, catch a cab, and head to Hepburn's house. When he got to the house, he discovered it was surrounded by reporters. Hughes then instructed the driver to take him to the Drake Hotel where he arrived, in typical Hughes fashion, with no identification or money. The manager knew who his mysterious guest was and set Hughes up in the honeymoon suite from which he did not reappear for 16 hours.

The next day was a typical New York hero's welcome as the flyers went through a huge ticker tape parade with an estimated 1,500,000 people lining the parade route. Even schools were closed in honor of the event. Hughes stated he would not take part in the event unless cars were also provided for the rest of the crew as well as the 19 members of the ground staff that aided the flight.

The amount of public adulation and press attention amazed Hughes. It also set him on a course where he would avoid both at all costs. With the record flight over, Hughes was on to other projects. But he, and his crew, had proven they could reliably fly around the world and not in a racing plane but in a transport aircraft that was in production for the airlines. It truly was an amazing feat.

And what of the faithful Lockheed? After a period at Grand Central, the aircraft was sold to the Department of National Defense in Ottawa, Canada, and transferred to the Royal Air Force with serial AX688 for use in the Middle East. The aircraft was eventually shipped to Cape Town, South Africa, where it arrived on 2 October 1940. Assembled by the South African Air Force, the plane received the code L3 and was flown to Nairobi on 10 November 1940. After refueling, the craft was prepared for its destination of Heliopolis. Taking off in strong winds and heavy rains, the Lockheed turned to port at 500 feet, stalled, and plunged into the ground where it exploded. The crew and passengers all perished.

O'Leary, Michael "Howard's excellent adventure". Air Classics.

 

 

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