Video: Hughes H-1 "Spruce Goose", the wooden "A-380"

In July of 1942, while the United States remained embroiled in World War II, famed industrialist Henry Kaiser proposed a fleet of flying transports to safely protect troops and supplies from German U-boats. Joining forces with Howard Hughes, Kaiser obtained an $18,000,000 government contract to construct three “Flying Boats.” Due to government restrictions on critical war material, such as steel and aluminum, Hughes used a process called “Duramold” to create almost every part of the plane. Using a plywood-like series of thin wood laminations, engineers built an airframe both lighter and stronger than aluminum. The resulting wooden aircraft became known around the world as the ‘Spruce Goose.’



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