Howard Hughes and His Racer, H-1

He was the only aviation oriented employee that Hughes had at the time, and he was keenly aware of Hughes' desire for more speed. Hughes was constantly complaining that existing aircraft just weren't fast enough. After winning the All American Air Meet on January 14, 1934 in his (Palmer modified) B-100 biplane, Hughes still lamented that speeds just weren't good enough. Odekirk laughed, and made the innocent (and half kidding) comment to Howard that "you won't be satisfied until you build your own airplane." Howard went suddenly silent, gazing blankly as if drawn into deep thought. Several moments of uncomfortable silence ensued. Odekirk wondered if his lighthearted jab had offended Hughes. Recovering from his sudden trance he said simply, "I think you're right Odie." Gazing over his B-100, Howard knew just the man that could help them. Being a man of few words, Howard Hughes' telegram to Dick Palmer asked simply, "Would you like to help design the fastest plane in the world?"
 By then Palmer was working for the Aircraft Development Corp. as an engineer for Jerry Vultee. For an engineer like Palmer an offer like the one Hughes made was more of a summons than an invitation. Palmer had a secure job with Vultee, and it was difficult to cut loose from that security. At first Palmer devoted his after hours time to the Hughes project. With all the overtime that he was already putting in for Vultee, the added strain of Hughes' project began to show. Vultee became aware of Palmer's work for Hughes and eventually gave Palmer an ultimatum: "Choose one or the other." Palmer couldn't resist the challenge presented by Hughes. Suddenly Palmer was faced with a difficult career choice. Hughes' offer was exciting, but it also represented an unknown to Palmer. At the Aircraft Development Corp. Palmer was a minor (but extremely talented) player who often was forced to constrain his creativity in favor of Vultee's ideas. The job paid well and seemed stable, but Hughes was offering an opportunity that Vultee could not. The opportunity to be chief engineer in the design of the "fastest plane in the world" was one he couldn't turn down. The chance to prove himself in his own right was too great. He had already laid down some preliminary sketches on the design with Hughes, and he was excited about the possibilities. Palmer took the job with Hughes.
  Now, barely 18 months later he was gazing upon the fruits of his design labor, which was gleaming brilliantly in the early California sun. The fuselage of the aircraft was a highly polished aluminum structure, using aluminum skins that were butted together (rather than overlapped) for aerodynamic efficiency. All rivets used on the fuselage were flush rivets that were each individually machined and finish polished to give the skin an absolutely smooth surface. The one piece wooden wing was part of the fuselage and firewall structure - an innovation that increased strength and reduced weight. A huge central keel system was incorporated into the fuselage, which provided for greatly improved rigidity and strength. The aircraft had retractable landing gear and was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr. capable of 1000 horsepower. The airplane was the first airplane ever designed by Hughes and his team. It was known by different names in the press. Some called it "The Mystery Ship", while others referred to it as "The Silver Bullet". Hughes referred to it as the "Hughes A" and sometimes as "The Racer". The name that stuck however was the one we know today: the "H-1". For the Hughes Aircraft Company, it was serial #1.
 The engine used on the H-1 was a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr.