The Ridiculously Expensive Plane Built by an Insane Man



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On July 7, 1946, the XF-11 was scheduled for its maiden flight with Howard Hughes at the controls. After years of political and economic negotiations with the government and military, the businessman had finally managed to take his reconnaissance aircraft airborne.

However, once in the air, Hughes, always one to push the envelope, threw caution to the wind and soared the XF-11 to new heights, testing both the aircraft’s limits and his own capabilities.

As the flight stretched on, the cameras ran out of film – then, disaster struck. Suddenly, the XF-11 began to yaw hard to the right, and for all his experience, Hughes found himself in a terrifying situation beyond his control.

The aircraft kept losing critical altitude as Hughes attempted to reach the golf course of the Los Angeles Country Club. The innovative engineering of the XF-11 and Hughes’ unparalleled ambition would be put to the test like never before…

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47 thoughts on “The Ridiculously Expensive Plane Built by an Insane Man”

  1. Recent theories run towards him suffering from a closed head injury after the crash landing. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, more extreme aspects of his personality came to the forefront more frequently.

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  2. Howard Hughes, was a brilliant man . Unfortunately he had a sickness called ocd . Back in those times if you weren't normal you were labeled as crazy . Don't disrespect him . The modern jets we fly in today are still using ideas and concepts created by Mr. Hughes .

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  3. Ridiculously expensive?. A better one. Crazy Uncle Howie kept the Spruce Goose flying boat in flying condition until his death in 1975. Engine oil was warmed and the Wasp Major 28 cylinder engines were turned over. Flying surfaces and cables were checked constantly. Gauges, sparkplugs for all 4 engines, batteries, ect, all kept fresh, ready to fly.

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  4. Howard Hughes was far from insane. I worked (at times) for him and Art Collins and both were geniuses. Mr. Hughes flight of the P-61 left him injured for life and the complications left him an object of ridicule. He is still a pioneer worthy of note in the same vein as Art Collins (whom I knew as an employer) and Seymour Cray. If you don't know who I'm talking about, look them up.

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  5. Was that the same Hap Arnold that pushed till they allowed the famous Red Tail flight to be formed.
    The Red Tails were heroic in WWII.
    Or the same Hap Arnold that talked them into using women trained to fly , to ferry planes all around the world freeing men to fight the war.

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  6. Is there ANY chance that there is a man with mental health issues so severe as to be insane in this video? Or is it a man who is remarkable in some way but the person who puts titles on Dark Skies uploads has no other adjective to use? If you don't know any other adjective, Cory, just use INSANE ?

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  7. One of the three houses Hughes crashed into was that of actress Rosemary DeCamp. Rosemary co-started in the Bob Cummings show. Cummings was something of an aviation pioneer: He was taught to fly by his godfather, Orville Wright, and held the first issued civilian pilot trainers' license.

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  8. Hughes was NOT insane: he suffered brain injuries in this crash that there was little knowkedge of at the time, and he wasn't properly treated as a result. He even designed what became the modern hospital bed, while he was recovering, because he couldn't sleep in the bed that he was in. Just another of his many accomplishments.

    He had a mild case of O.C.D. that became exaggerated after the crash, but he made it very clear that he was still running the show.

    Ironically, the P&WR 4360's went on to be often problematic engines in every application they were used in. The prime example is the Boeing 377.

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  9. Pretty insulting to call him insane. He was anything but at that point. Given some of the other projects the US military has embarked on, was it really that expensive. Oh, sorry clickbait.

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  10. It's hard to fault the guy. Probably dumped a fortune. Wood is obviously unusable. The Moquito, an excellent aircraft, the waking nightmare of Nazis, proved that. So fast, it won't need guns. Mount guns immediately.
    The similarity to the lightning is mere happenstance, obviously.
    Thank you. You poured your heart, soul, fortune into the project. You made a difference, young man. Well done.

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  11. 14 MILLION DOLLARS…..in 1946-1947 was a huge amount. But in retrospect it was a bargain to design, build and fly a prototype such as all of Howard's aircraft. XM11 is nothing but a footnote in history.

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  12. Ever think of getting your facts and B-roll accurate and straight before opening your mouth and acting as if you’re an expert. Hughes may have profound mental problems in his later years but at this point he was on top of his aeronautical engineering game. “Insane” is an insult to the legacy of man who achieved greatness and pushed the limits of aviation. What do you do? Put out sensationalized videos on YouTube. 🤡😆🤔

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