The Flight of the “Spruce Goose”
Photo credit: Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL AVIATION HISTORY MONTH
Today is November 2nd. On this date in 1947, the Hughes H-4 Hercules NX37602, better-known as “the Spruce Goose” made its first and only flight.
The eight-engine Hercules was BIG – 218 feet, 8 inches feet in length and just shy of 80 feet in height, its wingspan was nearly 320 feet. The fuselage height was an enormous 30 feet. Designed during World War II to carry troops across the Atlantic, the hostilities ended before the Goose could be put into service.
Due to wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum, the Hercules prototype was constructed with wood, which led to its nickname “The Spruce Goose.”
The Spruce Goose is now on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnvile, Oregon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65_FeMUuCl0