Careful measurements were taken and recorded from many areas of the airplane for this first test flight. Though his stated goal for that day was only to taxi the airplane and test run the engines. The clever Hughes had briefed the crew for take-off procedures prior to leaving the dock. He could not receive approval for a flight from the FAA until the taxi testing was complete. Hughes had carefully planned his "accidental" lift off from the water of Long Beach Harbor that day. The only thing that he had not planned was that the airplane lifted off at 70kts instead of the 90kts that had been predicted and has been recorded in history as the lift-off speed.

"She sure ballooned with flaps" Hughes told his co-pilot after calling "full flaps" to him on that day so long ago...

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