Hughes H-4 Hercules

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The Hughes H-4 Hercules, commonly called the "Spruce Goose", was a prototype military transport airplane and flying boat with eight wing-mounted engines originally meant to provide strategic airlift for movement of troops and materiel from the United States to Britain.

One prototype was built and tested, flying only once for 26 seconds at an altitude of 70 ft (21 m) for approximately 1 nmi (2 km). Today it is preserved and on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

Summary

“ The H-4 Hercules is an 8-engine, high-wing flying boat produced by the Hughes Aircraft Company of the United States. The H-4 was designed to answer the need for a strategic trans-Atlantic transport that could operate outside the threat of German submarines during World War II.\n\nThe first and only model of the H-4 was finished after the war and made its maiden, and sole, flight on November 2, 1947 with Howard Hughes on the controls. The journey was short, just over 1 mi (0.9 nmi; 1.6 km). It was also unannounced and never officially planned, but it proved the airworthiness of the hydroplane.

After its flight, Hughes had the H-4 housed in a large, climate-regulated hangar where it remained for decades. Following a series of ownership changes after the death of Hughes in 1976, the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, located in McMinnville, Oregon, took possession of the craft in the early 1990s. Technicians disassembled the H-4 and carefully transported it 1,200 mi (1,931 km) via barge and truck to the museum, where it remains on display today...

The H-4 is the largest flying boat ever produced and held the record of the aircraft with the longest wingspan that had ever flown until the flight of the Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch in 2019. The concept was first envisioned by shipbuilder Henry Kaiser, who teamed with Howard Hughes to bring it to reality. Hughes built the H-4 from wood due to limited access to aluminum and other metals during the war. Members of the press informally christened the aircraft the Spruce Goose, a name that vexed Howard Hughes because he felt that it insulted the aircraft’s engineers and because no spruce was used in its construction; the H-4 was built almost entirely of laminated birch.

The H-4 measures 218 ft 18 in (66.90 m) in length and features a cantilever main wing that does not require external struts or bracing. The wing, which spans 320 ft 11 in (97.82 m), has a relatively high aspect ratio and an elongated trapezoidal design. The 400,000 lb (181,437 kg) machine is stabilized while on water by two wing-supported pontoons, one on each side of the aircraft. The H-4 has a cruciform empennage.

The aircraft is powered by eight wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney R4360 Wasp Major radial engines, the largest radial engines ever built. Each powerplant has 28 pistons and produces 3,000 hp (2,237 kW)—a total of 224 pistons turning out an aggregate 24,000 hp (17,897 kW). Each Wasp is connected to a 4-blade Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller with a diameter of 17 ft 2 in (5.23 m). The H-4 has a range of between 2,860 and 3,050 mi (2,490 and 2,650 nmi; 4,600 and 4,910 km), a service ceiling of 23,500 ft (7,163 m) above sea level, a cruise speed of 198 mph (172 kn; 319 km/h), and a top speed of 232 mph (202 kn; 373 km/h)—all measures that are theoretical as the original H-4 was never tested to its full operational capability.

One of the great feats in not just the world of aerospace, but in all of engineering history, the Hughes Aircraft H-4 Hercules is a craft built to be able to fly throughout the globe. Aviators can test their skills inside the H-4’s cockpit, soaring above continents or entire oceans in the massive, roaring legend. 		”
~ Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) on its hangar description

Simulator availability

Overview

This asset is available in the following simulators.

Sim Icon-Ware-Included.svg  Icon-Ware-Payware.svg  Icon-Ware-Freeware.svg  Anvil icon.svg
XP12
FGFS2020.3LTS
FS2020 1
XP11
DCS
P3D
XP10
FSX 1
FS2004 1

Package listing

The following packages are either included in the base sim or available for purchase/download. Note that the inclusion of packages below is not an endorsement of quality or fitness. Potential buyers are highly encouraged to research payware packages through reviews, videos, or other means before purchasing.

Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)

Included Liveries

The following liveries accompany the included BlueMesh model at no additional cost.

  • Default

    Default

History

Sim Update XI (SU11) (2022-11-11):
  • Added the Hughes H-4 Hercules to the base sim
Sim Airplanes by simulator availability Airplanes by source
XP12: All • Included • Payware • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party
FGFS2020.3LTS: All • Included • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party • Launcher
FS2020: All • Included • Payware • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party • Marketplace
XP11: All • Included • Payware • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party
DCS: All • Included • Payware • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party • Marketplace
P3D: All • Included • Payware • Freeware • In development Included • Third-party
XP10: All • Included • Payware • Freeware Included • Third-party
FSX: All • Included • Payware • Freeware Included • Third-party
FS2004: All • Included • Payware • Freeware Included • Third-party
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