Spectacular vintage pearl-finish 8.75 x 6.25 photo of Hughes in the cockpit of his record-breaking monoplane at Newark Airport, boldly signed and inscribed in fountain pen, "To Mr. Grover Whalen, with my most sincere wishes for the success of World's Fair 1939, Howard Hughes.” Attractively matted and framed to an overall size of 18.5 x 16. In fine condition.
This superb photograph was captured shortly after Hughes's record-setting transcontinental flight of January 19, 1937—the eccentric millionaire broke his own transcontinental speed record, flying from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, New Jersey, in 7 hours and 31 minutes, for an estimated average speed of 332 miles per hour. The recipient is also noteworthy—Whalen was a New York politician and public relations guru who served as the chief organizer of the 1939 New York World's Fair. In order to promote the fair, he recruited Hughes to make a special around-the-world flight in a specially designed Lockheed 14N ‘Super Electra’ dubbed the 'New York World's Fair 1939.' Hughes took off from Floyd Bennett Field on Long Island, New York, on July 10, 1938, setting a new around-the-world record of 3 days, 19 hours, and 8 minutes when he returned on July 14th. He hoped the flight would be a triumph of American aviation technology, illustrating that safe, long-distance air travel was possible—a mission he accomplished with enormous success.
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