Mysteries Around Howard Hughes Aircraft. the D-2, XF-11, And The President's Influence Controversy

[Dronescapes]

Mysteries Around Howard Hughes Aircraft. the D-2, XF-11, And The President's Influence Controversy

View: https://youtu.be/e-YVHkee6Qo

 

[Dr. Saul]

That's because he was a

crappy pilot.

 

[Snautzer01]

That's because he was a View attachment 716306

crappy pilot.

Please explain why he was.

 

[Dr. Saul]

He never took direction well. He was a know-it-all. There are stories about his movies that expose his narcissistic personality.

 

[Snautzer01]

He never took direction well. He was a know-it-all. There are stories about his movies that expose his narcissistic personality.

All true. But show please why he was a bad pilot.

 

[Dr. Saul]

He never took directon well. If someone on his staff said to him that you need to watch this and this and that, because that plane was a handful, he would probably ignore them or not pay attention. This is in keeping with his personality. I don't have to have been there to know he was not going to be a good pilot for that tricky plane. And, of course, he crashed it. The inquiry stated that the crash was 100% due to pilot error. That is not a good pilot.

 

[Snautzer01]

he would probably

don't have to have been there to know he was not going to be a good pilot

Oh dear. Would should was not here. Solid evidence to smear a ledgends name i take it.

Now do not believe the movie. The man made a fortune building planes, race them and sold them. And he did fly them. Expirimental planes that is. Not cessna's. Did i mention the fast fast fortune he made? He did not take directions well the poor sob.

 

[MIflyer]

He never took direction well. He was a know-it-all. There are stories about his movies that expose his narcissistic personality.

The XF-11 originally was designed as a wooden aircraft, using techniques similar to the Spruce Goose. It was powered by two R-2800 engines. The prototype was destroyed in a fire, either because Hughes figured out that it would not work using that structure or just due to bad luck.

The new XF-11 was built out of aluminum and that meant it was heavier and had to be bigger and neded more power. The R-2800's were replaced with R-4360's with counter-rotating props. One of the props reversed during the initial test flight, blanking out airflow over one wing and rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. At best, if he had diagnosed the problem correctly he might have saved the airplane by chopping power to the proper side. To say it was only due to pilot error is questionable at best.

While the USAF cancelled production of the XF-11, production of the Republic Rainbow was also cancelled and production of the Northrop F-15 Reporter was very limited. Jets made those prop driven airplanes obsolete.

 

[Dronescapes]

Can I just say...In his infinite and wonderful madness, he was good (enough) at doing many things. Trying to narrow Howard Hughes's life down to his pilot skills is limiting. Love him, hate him, but he accomplished in a lifetime, in many areas of life, more than most of us can accomplish in 10 lifetimes. I proudly own a drill bit from his dad's company, just as a reminder of what a (rich) kid could accomplish in every state, including the ones that initially treated him like a redneck from Texas. I am referring to Hollywood's elite of the time. today Howard Hughes would be cured of his madness, but perhaps he would also not be the Howard Hughes that made history. Crazy, rich, daredevil, and utterly brilliant, what more can you ask? The best we have these days is Elon Musk, but I am not sure how he compares. A very good percentage of Musk's announcements are pure fantasy, and his timelines are more than often comical, yet his following is a testament that we need more Howard Hughes and more Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk. Most others are just uninspiring and utterly boring.

 

[Dronescapes]

Oh dear. Would should was not here. Solid evidence to smear a ledgends name i take it.

Now do not believe the movie. The man made a fortune building planes, race them and sold them. And he did fly them. Expirimental planes that is. Not cessna's. Did i mention the fast fast fortune he made? He did not take directions well the poor sob.

He also made one of the most successful aviation movies of all time, despite being snubbed by Hollywood and being treated like a redneck by the Hollywood elite of the time (one of the few elites in the US at the time / old money). He also had a VERY good taste for beauty and fiercely fought battles he believed in, personally.

 

[Dr. Saul]

Flying an experimental airplane is not just fire walling the engines and hauling back on the yoke.

"The investigating board criticized Hughes for not following the flight test plan, staying airborne too long, and deviating from a number of standard test flight protocols. The cause of the actual crash was determined to be pilot error."

What the hell was he doing over Beverly Hills??? He said he was trying to land at the golf course. Maybe. Or maybe he was grandstanding for a lady. In the end, he smashed three mansions with his plane, completely totaling it, and was badly smashed up himself. It was a miracle he survived. It ruined the rest of his life. That is bad flying, regardless of what he did previously.

 

[special ed]

The rear prop on one of the contra rotating pair reversed and the assembly would not feather. The crash pictures do not show "mansions" but a neighborhood. As for rich kids spending their dad's money correctly, my favorite is Kermit Weeks.

 

[Dr. Saul]

And of course that explains why he had not filed a mandatory flight plan and why he was flying an untested aircraft over a population center instead of the desert a few miles east of there.