91 years ago, Howard Hughes launched one of the fastest airplanes in the world
- Published on 17/08/2026 11:48
On August 17, 1935, Howard Hughes flew his H-1 Racer for the first time, a spectacular machine designed with one obsession: to go faster than anyone else.
Long before becoming the eccentric billionaire living reclusively in hotels, Howard Hughes was primarily a genuine aviation enthusiast. A pilot, film producer, engineer in his spare time, and an heir to a considerable fortune, the American could afford a few whims. Like building his own racing plane.
On August 17, 1935, in Glendale, California, the Hughes H-1 Racer made its first flight. The craft looks nothing like the clunky airplanes of its time. With an incredibly smooth fuselage, a tiny cockpit, and retractable landing gear: everything is designed to reduce drag. Even the rivets are flush. At a time when automotive aerodynamics was still in its infancy, Hughes already paid attention to every detail like a modern Formula 1 team.
And since he built the toy, it’s obviously him who will pilot it. Less than a month after this first flight, on September 13, 1935, Hughes set his H-1 on a timed course in California. Result: an average speed of 567 km/h, a new world speed record for a land plane.
Everything goes perfectly. Well, almost.
After several runs, Hughes runs out of fuel. The engine cuts off, and the billionaire has to land his precious prototype… in a beet field.
The plane is damaged, Hughes emerges unscathed and the record is in the bag. It’s hard to imagine a more Hollywood-like conclusion.
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However, the H-1 would not remain just a record machine. Its extremely refined shapes foreshadowed certain fighters that would appear a few years later. Hughes would later use a longer-winged version to break the American transcontinental record in 1937.
A beautiful plane, a world record, and a landing in the beets: Howard Hughes certainly had a flair for showmanship.
This page is translated from the original post "Il y a 91 ans, Howard Hughes faisait décoller l’un des avions les plus rapides du monde" in French.
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