TERRIFIC SPEED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 247, 16 September 1935, Page 7

TERRIFIC SPEED.

RECORD FOR LAND ’PLANE. OVER 350 MILES AN HOUR. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13. Mr Howard Hughes, the millionaire motion picture producer, set a world speed record for land aeroplanes today by taking his low-winged machine six times over a measured course at speeds of 252, 337, 350 , 340, 350 and 353 miles an hour. He bettered the mark of 314.319 established by Delmotte (France). Mr William Enyart, secretary of the Contest Board of the National Aeronautics Association, announced that final calibration with camera films of the speed trials lias prompted the N.A.A. to ask that Mr Hughes be officially credited with a new world speed record of 352.46 miles an hour for land aeroplanes. Mr Enyart said this represented Mr Hughes’s average for the two best north and south trials near Santa Ana. His top speed was 355.38 miles an hour. His machine, which cost 120,000 dollars, lias 14 cylinders and develops 1000 horsepower. • Mr Hughes was forced to land in a beet field, ploughing up the beetroots for 60 yards on his final flight, when he ran out of gasoline, the motor failing to take in a fresh supply from the auxiliary tank.

Son of a petroleum magnate who invented many of the most necessary appliances of the oil industry, Mr Howard Hughes fell heir to a tremendous fortune at 21 years of age, and, after taking over his father’s business, added greatly to the fortune. Then lie went to Hollywood “for mental exercise” and silently financed a picture, “Everybody’s Acting,” which repaid him handsomely. Then he formed the Cadoo company, named after his oilfield, and made “The Arabian Knights” and “The Racket,” both of which were financially successful. Then came “Hell’s Angels,” surpassing all aviation pictures in expense, magnificence and conception. For this production he scoured Europe and America for old wartime ’planes, so that the picture would be accurate, and collected and used 125 of them, which were gathered at a cost of 250,000 dollars. A reproduction of a Zeppelin was built production of a Zeppelin was built and flown, at a cost of another 500,000 dollars and he personally directed the flying sequences of the film, one of the pilots being Colonel Roscoe Turner, who flew in the Centenary Air Race. When the film was made and ready for release, the talking picture was perfected, and the picture was remade. In all 0,000.000 dollars went into the making of the picture. His interest in flying dates from Ins first flight, at the age of 14 years. Then ho built an aeroplane of bis own, made from the remains of crashed machines, and flew it. Since then his active interest in aviation has been maintained.