Video + CoolPix: Aero Telemetry Starts Carving 20 Foot Wingspan Spruce Goose!
Friday, November 2, 2012 at 09:00PM
Today marks the 65th anniversary since Howard Hughes made the one and only flight in the fascinating 320 foot (and 11 inch) wingspan Hughes H-4 'Hercules' - or Spruce Goose as we've always known it. That makes a pretty cool day to find out about a new project by the guys at Aero Telemetry. If you don't know about the off-the-scale cool stuff done by Aero Telemetry, check out: OMGosh! Museum Quality, Half Scale (UAV) Hughes H-1 Racer.
Watch the video above and read the info below (from the Aero Telemetry youtube page) - and then keep your eyes open for more updates on the project both here on AirPigz and at AeroTelemetry.com... oh, and check out the CoolPix of the Spruce Goose on its only flight from 65 years ago today at the bottom of the post : )
Video screenshot showing the 20' wingspan Spruce Goose fuselage halves
On November 2, 1947, Howard Hughes made history by flying the world's largest airplane, the mighty Hughes Flying Boat, more commonly known as the Spruce Goose.
Today, 65 years later, November 2, 2012 Aero Telemetry is pleased to introduce the next airplane in our Hughes Aircraft Company Trilogy.... The AMA legal (120lbs), museum scale, 20 ft wingspan Spruce Goose.
Using experience gained from building and flying our original airplane for Martin Scorsese during the movie The Aviator, this new airplane is being meticulously designed with the most precise attention to detail.
Working with The Western Museum of flight and several ex-Hughes Aircraft employees, Joe Bock and his team of Aviators were given access to "never before seen" photographs and original Hughes Aircraft Company Flying Boat blueprints and documents detailing the technical intricacies of the complex and graceful Hughes Flying Boat. Joe and his team have turned this information into one of the most graceful and beautifully detailed model airplanes ever built.
Aero Telemetry and Joe Bock have created the world's largest flyable, most historically accurate and detailed scale model of the Spruce Goose...again.
And so begins the life of the Aero Telemetry Flying Boat.
(click pic for hi-res) Howard Hughes on Nov. 2, 1947 and the only flight of the Spruce Goose
Reader Comments (3)
Wow !
I helped to build a 1/20th scale R/C model of the Goose back in 1979. We actually had copies of the original plans provided to us by the Summa Corporation who owned it at the time. Our plane had a 16 foot wing span and was powered by 8 K&B .61ci pumper engines. It had two radio systems with two transmitters. One transmitter was custom built by Futaba and had four sliding controls that allowed us to control the engine in pairs and made steering in the water easier. It flew well, actually, even with several engines not running. We flew it at Lake Mead, Nevada during a 1/4 scale R/C aircraft meet nearby.
The plane weighed about 100 lbs. The president of Winnebago, a friend of this plane's owner, had a special trailer built to transport it.
Our Goose was so accurate, that the Wrather Corp., a later owner of the Hercules, had molds made of it so that a fiberglass display model could be built. You can now see this copy along with the real Spruce goose, at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
Peter Krentz- Thanx for that interesting info! I haven't seen the real thing since way back when it was still in Long beach. I look forward to seeing it again and the static model you speak of. It'll be interesting to follow along with Aero Telemetry as they get this one built - electric power sure makes these projects easier! I should have more info on this one before long as I have a contact at AT that might get me some pix etc to share.