What is the origin of the Spruce Goose?
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 Howard Hughes to design and build it. Famously known as the ‘Spruce Goose’, the vast silver ship is as legendary as its inventor Howard Hughes.
Why was the Spruce Goose wood?
Built from wood (Duramold process) because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, the aircraft was nicknamed the Spruce Goose by critics, although it was made almost entirely of birch. Unfortunately the Spruce Goose never flew again. History. Despite its successful maiden flight, the Spruce Goose never went into production, primarily because critics alleged that its wooden framework was insufficient to support its weight during long flights.
Where is Howard Hughes Spruce Goose today?
The Spruce Goose remains on display and open to the public at the Evergreen Museum to this day. In the museum’s original pitch to the Aero Club, it promised to protect the aircraft and display it intact in perpetuity. When Disney acquired the Wrather Corporation in 1988, they inherited the Spruce Goose’s lease from the Aero Club. Four years later, the Aero Club sold the aircraft to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.