This week in 1947, aviation history was made when Howard Hughes piloted the Hughes H-4 Hercules, affectionately known as the "Spruce Goose," on its first and only flight. Despite its name, the aircraft was constructed primarily of wood due to wartime material shortages. The massive flying boat, designed to transport troops and supplies across the Atlantic during World War II, flew just over half a mile at an altitude of 70 feet over Long Beach Harbor. Though it never flew again, the Spruce Goose