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The Hughes H-4 Hercules (also known as the "Spruce Goose"; registration NX37602) is a prototype heavy strategic airlift military transport aircraft designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use during World War II, it was not completed in time to be used in the war. The aircraft made only one brief flight on November 2, 1947, and the project never advanced beyond the single example produced. Built from wood because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminium and concerns about weight, it was nicknamed by critics the "Spruce Goose", although it was made almost entirely of birch.〔Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 49-58, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.〕〔("Hughes HK-1 (H-4) 'Spruce Goose'." ) ''The Aviation Zone''. Retrieved October 6, 2010.〕 The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built and has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in history.〔("Spruce Goose." ) ''Evergreen Aviation Museum''. Retrieved December 14, 2011.〕 It is on display, and remains in good condition at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, United States.〔Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' p. 55, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.〕 ==Design and development== In 1942, the U.S. War Department needed to transport war materiel and personnel to Britain. Allied shipping in the Atlantic Ocean was suffering heavy losses to German U-boats, so a requirement was issued for an aircraft that could cross the Atlantic with a large payload. Wartime priorities meant the aircraft could not be made of strategic materials (e.g., aluminum).〔Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 49, 51, Cypress, CA, 2013. ISBN 978-0-9897906-0-4.〕 The aircraft was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, a leading Liberty ship builder. He teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft built at that time. It was designed to carry 150,000 pounds, 750 fully equipped troops or two 30-ton M4 Sherman tanks. The original designation "HK-1" reflected the Hughes and Kaiser collaboration.〔 The HK-1 contract was issued in 1942 as a development contract〔McDonald 1981, p. 45.〕 and called for three aircraft to be constructed in two years for the war effort.〔Odekirk 1982, p. 1V.〕 Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and single-hull designs with combinations of four, six, and eight wing-mounted engines.〔McDonald 1981, pp. 41–44.〕 The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built.〔〔McDonald 1981, p. 40.〕 It would be built mostly of wood to conserve metal (its elevators and rudder were fabric-covered〔Winchester 2005, p. 113.〕), and was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" (a name Hughes hated) or the ''Flying Lumberyard''.〔 While Kaiser had originated the "flying cargo ship" concept, he did not have an aeronautical background and deferred to Hughes and his designer, Glenn Odekirk.〔 Development dragged on, which frustrated Kaiser, who blamed delays partly on restrictions placed for the acquisition of strategic materials such as aluminum, and partly on Hughes' insistence on "perfection".〔McDonald 1981, p. 56.〕 Construction of the first HK-1 took place 16 months after the receipt of the development contract. Kaiser withdrew from the project.〔McDonald 1981, pp. 58–59.〕〔Herman, Arthur. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,'' pp. 277-81, Random House, New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4.〕 Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation "H-4 Hercules", signing a new government contract that now limited production to one example. Work proceeded slowly, and the H-4 was not completed until well after the war was over. It was built by the Hughes Aircraft Company at Hughes Airport, location of present-day Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California, employing the plywood-and-resin "Duramold" process〔 – a form of composite technology – for the laminated wood construction, which was considered a technological ''tour de force''.〔Odekirk 1982, p. II.〕 The specialized wood veneer was made by Roddis Manufacturing in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Hamilton Roddis had teams of young women ironing the (unusually thin) strong birch wood veneer before shipping to California.〔(Marshfield women recall building engineering marvels of the skies ), Marshfield News Herald〕 A house moving company transported the airplane on streets to Pier E in Long Beach, California. They moved it in three large sections: the fuselage, each wing—and a fourth, smaller shipment with tail assembly parts and other smaller assemblies. After Hughes Aircraft completed final assembly, they erected a hangar around the flying boat, with a ramp to launch the H-4 into the harbor.〔 Howard Hughes was called to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee in 1947 over the use of government funds for the aircraft. During a Senate hearing on August 6, 1947 (the first of a series of appearances), Hughes said: The Hercules was a monumental undertaking. It is the largest aircraft ever built. It is over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field. That's more than a city block. Now, I put the sweat of my life into this thing. I have my reputation all rolled up in it and I have stated several times that if it's a failure, I'll probably leave this country and never come back. And I mean it.〔''The Great Aviator: Howard Hughes, His Life, Loves & Films — A Documentary''. Los Angeles: Delta Entertainment Corporation, 2004.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hughes H-4 Hercules」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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