The Hughes H-4 Hercules (commonly known as the Spruce Goose; registration NX37602) is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat 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 prototype.
Built from wood (Duramold process) because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, the aircraft was nicknamed the Spruce Goose by critics, although it was made almost entirely of birch. The Birch Bitch was a more accurate but less socially acceptable moniker that was allegedly used by the mechanics who worked on the plane. The Hercules is the largest seaplane ever built, and it had the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever flown until the twin-fuselaged Scaled Composites Stratolaunch first flew on April 13, 2019. The aircraft remains in good condition. After being displayed to the public in Long Beach, California, from 1980 to 1992, it was moved to display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.
Design and development
left|thumb|upright=1.5|Size comparison between the H-4 and a [[Douglas DC-3]]
In 1942, the U.S. War Department needed to transport war materiel<!-- "MATERIEL" IS THE CORRECT SPELLING. Please do NOT change to 'material'; see the 'materiel' article instead. --> 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).
The aircraft was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, a leading Liberty ship builder and manufacturer. Kaiser teamed with aircraft designer Howard Hughes to create what would become the largest aircraft yet built. It was designed to carry , 750 fully equipped troops or two 30-ton M4 Sherman tanks. The original designation "HK-1" reflected the Hughes and Kaiser collaboration. and called for three aircraft to be constructed in two years for the war effort. Seven configurations were considered, including twin-hull and single-hull designs with combinations of four, six, and eight wing-mounted engines. The final design chosen was a behemoth, eclipsing any large transport then built. It would be built mostly of wood to conserve metal (its elevators and rudder were fabric-covered), and was nicknamed the Spruce Goose (a name Hughes disliked) or the Flying Lumberyard. Construction of the first HK-1 took place 16 months after the receipt of the development contract. Kaiser then withdrew from the project.
thumb|right|Rearward view of the Hercules H-4's fuselage
Hughes continued the program on his own under the designation H-4 Hercules,