The Spruce Goose Only Took One Flight, But This One-Of-A-Kind Aircraft Has A Special Spot In Oregon
By Catherine Armstrong|Published April 25, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
In 1942, World War II was raging across the globe, and German submarines were sinking Allied ships by the hundreds. To win the war, Allied troops and equipment needed to get across the Atlantic Ocean, and Henry J. Kaiser and Howard Hughes had a unique idea – build a huge airplane that could transport 750 troops and equipment, or two 30-ton Sherman tanks in just one flight.
The Spruce Goose is a one-of-a-kind aircraft, and you can see it at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.
If you love airplanes, a visit to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum will surely make your day. It's stunning crown jewel is the Spruce Goose, and you can see it inside the museum even from the road!
The story of how this plane came to be is quite a tale. Since U-Boats were sinking ships by the hundreds, Allied Forces needed a solution. If only there was a way to create a flying cargo ship...
Two of America's most influential men teamed together to create something truly magnificent. Henry J. Kaiser was a ship-building engineer, and Howard Hughes was an inventor, engineer, and billionaire.
Because steel and aluminum were scarce, the aircraft was designed and made completely of a strong, birch veneer. It was nicknamed The Spruce Goose by the press, though it wasn't made of spruce at all. Howard Hughes reportedly hated the nickname!
It took years for the plane to be completed. Frustrated by red tape and Howard Hughes' insistence on perfection, Kaiser withdrew from the project. Hughes soldiered on, but by the time the plane was finally completed in 1947, the war was over.
The plane was moved to a pier in Long Beach, California to conduct taxi tests, in a hope to justify its $23 million price tag.
The plane took just one flight, on November 2, 1947. During a series of taxi tests, Hughes decided to lift off, and the plane flew 70 feet above the water for a total of 26 seconds, traveling about one mile.
After its maiden flight, Hughes kept the plane in a private hangar and hired a full-time crew to maintain it. The Spruce Goose stayed hidden away for 33 years, until Hughes' death in 1976.
In 1992, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum made a bid to obtain the plane. It was dismantled and moved by barge up the coast, making a journey along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers before moving into a temporary hangar in McMinnville in 1993.
The plane was assembled and restored, and put on view for the public in 2001. You can see it there today, and it's absolutely magnificent! Take a guided museum tour to learn even more about this incredible aircraft from a volunteer or veteran pilot.
Learn even more about the Spruce Goose on Evergreen Aviation & Space Musuem’s website, and make sure to follow the museum’s Facebook page to see more historic Spruce Goose photos.
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