S-43 Question

[NathanT24]

I just found my Wings Over Houston photos from awhile back the other day and found some pics of the S-43 painted in Howard Hughes name, what happened to this plane? Was this the one that was supposed to go to the Hobby Museum?? I would love to see this plane fly again.

[RickH]

Nathan, its down at Brazoria County. Jess Bootenhoff is in charge of it, its supposed to be kept in airworthy condition but I don't know the last time it was flown.

[Tulio]

I shot these in October 1990, at Ellington Field:






Saludos,


Tulio

[NathanT24]

Thanks guys, I will scan the pics I took at Wings Over Houston, I think I may need to get down to Brazoria County and see if Jess will let me get pics.

[TimAPNY]

Is this the same as the JRS-1 that is at Pima? I did not know another like this type was around, other that the one being used for a house (or somehting) in Alaska.

Tim

[RickH]

No, Tim. This IS Howard Hughes' S-43. He was going to use this on his around the world flight but used the Lockheed instead. He later used it for some of his flight tests for the Spruce Goose and wrecked it on Lake Mead. He had it rebuilt and it was kept in the Hughes Hangar at Hobby Airport until his death. It was sold to Ronald von Kregten and he had it restored down here. Jess and a bunch of guys down here took over caring for it, redid some sheetmetal repairs and some other things and flew it for quite a while, even took it to Oshkosh. Ronald passed away a few years ago and apparently his widow donated the S-43 to a nonprofit started by Bootenhoff.

Last edited by RickH on Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[marine air]

I saw it at Oshkosh and it is indeed a magnificent relic. Would look great in Pearl Harbor 1941 markings silver with yellow wings, for sure. An FAA friend told me it requires a type rating to fly.

[TimAPNY]

I guess I stated my question incorrectly. I meant to ask if this was the same type of a/c that is at Pima, not the same airframe.

After checking out Pima's site I see that it is Pima's really is a S-43 and not a JRS-1. Pretty cool that one is still able to fly. I'd love to see that do some passes. Great history too on the airframe.

Tim

[RickH]

It would be a shame to portray it as anything other than what it is.

The airplane was built to Hughes' specifications, he ordered it new. It is fitted with larger engines than standard, 1820s. Here's a link to a very in depth article written by Budd Davisson in 1999 for Flight Journal that chronicles this particular aircraft.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3897/is_199902/ai_n8851476

[bilwor]

The Howard Hughes S-43 originally had twin rudders. After the crash in Lake Mead it was rebuilt with the single rudder it has now.

bill word

[tom d. friedman]

if i recall.... somebody died in that plane with hughes at the controls in a crash landing.

[RickH]

If you guys will take a look at the link to the article in my earlier post it will answer all the questions about the mods Hughes had done and the particulars about the Lake Mead crash.

[mexchiwa]

So that's three JRS/S-43's, right? NASM, Pima (or are those two the same?), and Hughes. Any more?

[Roger Cain]

Tulio,

Do you have a closeup of the text on the nose? It only had three lines of info when I last saw it, yours shows four.

My picture reads "Purchased for Flight Around the World
Test Plane for the Spruce Goose"

At Watsonville (CA) on May 27, 1995

Last edited by Roger Cain on Sun Aug 20, 2006 3:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Larry Kraus]

The source that I checked shows the empty weight of an S-43 as 12,750lbs. and the maximum take-off weight as 19,096 lbs.This would definitely require a type rating.