Veteran’s Corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

Although not a veteran, Howard Hughes has contributed vastly to the military community. You could say Bruce Wayne aka Batman and Tony Stark aka Ironman, may have Hughes as an inspiration. A real life billionaire playboy, inventor, engineer, pilot, movie director (he even owned RKO Pictures) the list goes on.
Hughes at 11 built a radio transmitter and at the age of 12 became the first ham radio operator in Houston. Also at the age of 12 he designed and made a motorized bicycle. He used a one of his father’s steam engines. At age 14 he took his first flying lesson. Aviation is where he is still influential in the world today.
He was born an only child and both his parents died before he was 19. He was left with substantial wealth as his father was the founder of the Hughes Tool Factory. Having lost his parents so young, he left a large chunk of his new wealth to establish a medical research laboratory in 1925. It’s still functioning today as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In 1927 he filmed “Hells Angels” a film about WW1 aviators that fall in love with the same woman. Jean Harlow made her film debut. The film was originally going to be silent, talkies were coming out and Hughes decided to restart production to make it a sound picture. The movie cost $2.8 million to make; it cleared $2.5 at the box offices. It was far ahead of its time. No less than 50 biplanes were used in filming. Some very spectacular dogfight scenes were captured. Hughes did much of the filming himself.
Almost 20 years later the 303rd bomb group in WW2 adapted the name “Hells Angels” they were one of the most celebrated of B-17 groups in the war. The 3rd squadron of the Flying Tigers was named “Hells Angels.” Arvid Olsen of MN was the squadron commander. Olsen and his WW2 buddy Otto Friedli were motorcycle enthusiasts. Otto belonged to a club but he and several other people were tired of political BS that’s goes with things. That caused Otto and his biker buddies to form the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, on March 17, 1948.
Hughes went on to film Scarface, based on Al Capone, and several other movies.
In the 1930s is when Hughes creative genius expanded. He founded the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1934. It was at first a division of the Hughes Tool Company.
Pre WW2 aircraft research and design was a mostly money losing endeavor. The aircraft was not fully accepted into military and civilian applications.
Among many of Hughes aircraft designs was the H1 racer. Flown in 1935 it shattered speed records and the transcontinental speed record. It had many new features. Notable is the radial engine. When the US was introduced to the Japanese Zero many of them were utilized.
Next week in part two I will get into his other aircraft designs. His crossing into ship designs which could recover items on the ocean floor. His numerous aircraft crashes and the incredible chronic pain, how it led to his madness.

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