Derived metrics
Computed by aircraft.fyi from the core specification — see how we calculate these.
How big is it, really?
The Hughes H-4 Hercules's wingspan, against things you already know the size of.
The numbers
| Length | 66.65 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 97.54 m |
| Height | 24.18 m |
| MTOW | 180,000 kg |
| Engines | 8 × P&W R-4360 Wasp Major |
| Structure | Laminated birch (not spruce) |
| Only flight | 2 November 1947 — ≈26 seconds |
| Built | 1 |
Put the Hughes H-4 next to something
Last verified: 2026-07-14 · Spot an error? business@luck.fyi
What makes it different
Howard Hughes built the largest aircraft in the world out of birch, because wartime rules said he couldn't have aluminium. The H-4 was meant to carry 750 troops or a Sherman tank across the Atlantic, above the U-boats. The war ended before it was finished; the press mocked it as the Spruce Goose, a name Hughes hated for the rest of his life.
On 2 November 1947, during what was announced as a taxi test in Long Beach harbor, Hughes lifted it off the water himself — about 21 metres up, just over a kilometre, roughly 26 seconds. It never flew again. He kept it in climate-controlled secrecy, maintained by a full crew, until his death nearly thirty years later.
Its 97.54-metre wingspan remained the widest of any aircraft ever flown until the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft finally passed it in 2019 — seventy-two years later. The complete aircraft is preserved at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon.
Hughes H-4 Hercules — the short answers
How fast is the Hughes H-4 Hercules?
Is the Hughes H-4 Hercules still in production?
How big is the Hughes H-4 Hercules?
The Hughes H-4 Hercules line
H-4 Hercules
Who flies the Hughes H-4 Hercules
No current operators — this aircraft's flying days are over. The operators of record are below.