On November 2nd, 1947, Billionaire Howard Hughes took to the skies and made the first and only flight of the H-4 Hercules, better known as the “Spruce Goose.” The whopping price tag came in just over $25 million dollars making the 200-ton plywood eight-engine Hercules, the world’s largest airplane.The massive flying boat flew about a mile at an altitude of 70 feet. While he proved the craft could fly, it never did so again. It was lost to history for decades before it was discovered and became a tourist attraction alongside the Queen Mary at Long Beach harbor. The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built and has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in history. It survives in good condition at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon
