Millionaire actor and aviator Howard Hughes met aviation engineer Glenn Odekirk during the filming of Hell's Angels. In 1932, they founded the company Hughes Aircraft. Her first project was the H-1 Racer racing aircraft, work on which began in 1934.
The H-1 was an aerodynamically clean low-wing aircraft with a retractable landing gear. It was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-1535 engine (700 hp) with a maximum speed of 567 km / h. On September 13, 1935, the first flight of the Hughes H-1 Racer racing aircraft took place.
In the first flight, the H-1, piloted by Hughes himself, made an emergency landing after the engine stopped. But before that, he managed to break the world speed record. The plane was restored and it set several more records, including a transcontinental flight. Since 1975, the H-1 Racer has been located in the National Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Replicas of the aircraft were built — both static and flying.
