Hughes H-1 (Hughes 1B) Racer Aircraft (1935)
The Hughes H-1 Racer proved a record-setter for the Hughes Aircraft company.
H1 Origins
Engineer Glen Odekirk and Howard Hughes met while the two worked on Hughes aviation epic and box office success "Hell's Angels". Odekirk was employed for the film by Hughes and charged with keeping the fleet of 100 or so aircraft air-worthy. While production progressed, the two men began developing plans for a record-breaking aircraft design which eventually evolved to become the celebrated "H-1". Designs were on the drawing board as early as 1934 with promising wind tunnel tests following. Evaluation of a mock up proved enticing and development continued.
Hughes H-1 Walk-Around
Design of the H-1, credited to Richard Palmer and Hughes with construction credited to Odekirk, exuded speed from any one of her viewable angles. She sported low-set monoplane wings with noticeable dihedral and each were made of wood attached to a tubular pencil like fuselage left as bare metal. The engine was held well-forward in the design and extended out ahead of the wings. The cockpit was set well behind the wing assemblies and sported only light framing, allowing for unfettered views across the front and sides of the aircraft. The H-1 featured a short empennage capped by a single vertical tail fin complimented by applicable horizontal stabilizers. The undercarriage consisted of two single-wheeled main landing gear legs and a hydraulically-controlled metal tail skid at the rear. The main legs retracted inwards towards the fuselage centerline. There were two sets of wings constructed to tackle two distinct flying modes - speed racing and cross-country racing.
The Wings
In its original configuration, the H-1 sported shorter wings of 25 feet and fielded in this fashion for setting the initial landplane speed record. These were indicated by their red paint coating. For the transcontinental record, the H-1 was then fitted with longer-spanning wings of 31 feet, 9 inches. These were indicated by their blue paint coating.
Hughes - Always the Visionary
Of particular note in the design of the H-1 were several revolutionary and key features to keep the "need for speed" criteria at the forefront. The H-1 made use of monoplane wings at a time when most aircraft (even military types) were still using biplanes with origins in a bygone era. The undercarriage's retractable nature was also a departure from conventional aircraft types then in use, many making due with static structures while others housed landing gear legs in streamlined, though fixed, fairings. The H-1 was also constructed with individually machined flush rivets which contoured perfectly with the smooth metal skin of the aircraft, making for a superior streamlined affair. All these implementations combined to produced the fastest of possible airframes.
The Power Within
Power for the H-1 was delivered from a single Pratt & Whitney R-1535 series, twin-row, 14-cylinder radial piston engine producing approximately 700 horsepower (although modified in the H-1 for an impressive output of up to 1,000 horsepower) and actuating a two-bladed metal propeller. This supplied up to listed 352 miles per hour making it one of the fastest piston engine aircraft of the time. The fuselage maintained a running length of 27 feet and a height of 8 feet. When empty, she listed at 3,565lbs and a full 5,492lbs when loaded.
The Records
On September 13th, 1935, the H-1's first flight (with Hughes himself at the controls) the H-1 achieved a new world speed record of 352 miles per hour, this over the skies of Santa Ana, California. Hughes took the H-1 through her paces and accomplished the record before being forced to crash land after running out of fuel. Both Hughes and the H-1 survived without any major damage with Hughes only convinced that he could make his new creation fly faster.
The transcontinental flight to follow, this from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, New Jersey, occurred on January 19th, 1937, and was covered in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. Hughes' average speed on the jaunt was an impressive 332 miles per hour. This was less than the 9 hours, 27 minutes Hughes managed in a previous transcontinental attempt.
Why Not a Military Pursuit Fighter?
The H-1 was undoubtedly an aircraft ahead of its time and if anyone knew this it was Howard Hughes. Always the businessman, he assumed interest from the United States Army Air Force was forthcoming but this came to naught. The USAAF never contracted for any evaluation H-1s and the aircraft lived on only as a racing airplane with the Hughes name. In post-war reports before the Unites States Senate, Hughes commented that the USAAF thought a cantilever monoplane not suitable for a pursuit fighter. Wartime designs such as the American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" were all thought to borrow some elements of Hughes' design but each respected designer never admitted as such, some outright refuting any such claim. It is only left to the imagination what the H-1 racer could have become if transformed and utilized as a pursuit fighter. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
Hughes H-1 (Hughes 1B)
Racer Aircraft
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Hughes Aircraft - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1935
Production: 1
Focus Model: Hughes H-1 (Hughes 1B)
Crew: 1
Length: 27.00ft (8.23m)
Width: 31.73ft (9.67m)
Height: 7.87ft (2.40m)
Weight (Empty): 3,571lbs (1,620kg)
Weight (MTOW): 5,503lbs (2,496kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Pratt & Whitney R-1535 radial piston engine delivering 700 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 352mph (566kmh; 306kts)
Maximum Range: 0miles (0km)
Service Ceiling: 0ft (0m; 0.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)
Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
None.
Variants:
H-1 - Base series designation; single prototype produced.
Operators: United States
BY DECADE:
• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft
BY TYPE:
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)
COLLECTIONS:
• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:
• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)
MISCELLANEOUS:
• Aircraft Cockpits
• Aircraft Manufacturers List
• Aircraft Timeline
WORLD WAR 2:
• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
WORLD WAR 1:
• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
KOREAN WAR:
• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
VIETNAM WAR:
• Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL
COLD WAR:
• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
