Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Nov. 2, 2024.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes piloted his Hughes H-4 Hercules, nicknamed the “Spruce Goose,” on its one and only flight; a massive wooden seaplane with a wingspan longer than a football field, it remained airborne for 26 seconds.

And that was it. The plane never advanced beyond the prototype.

Per historians , the Spruce Goose was first conceived during World War II, when German submarines were sinking hundreds of Allied ships, and there was a growing need to move troops and materials across the Atlantic Ocean. Henry Kaiser conceived the idea of a massive flying transport and turned to Hughes to design and build it. Hughes took on the task,

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