In this video, we talk about the Hughes XF-11, a World War 2-era reconnaissance aircraft built by business magnate and then-richest man in the world Howard Hughes. We first talk about the early life of Howard Hughes and how he got rich, got into aviation, and then got into aircraft manufacturing with Hughes Aircraft. We talk about some of his early aircraft, like the Hughes H-1 and the Hughes D-2, and the transition from the D-2 into a potential military contract.
We also talk about how Hughes and those that worked for him effectively bribed the son of President FDR to get a contract for the D-2, then renamed the XF-11, and how this contract, along with everything else Hughes was doing, led to him spiraling out of control. We then talk about the eventual completion of the XF-11, how it crashed and nearly killed Howard Hughes, and how its failure led, in part, to a congressional investigation against Hughes and Hughes Aircraft. We also talk about the broader corruption surrounding the investigation and the investigators.
