On September 13 1935 industrialist Howard Hughes, flying the Hugest H-1 Racer, created a new airspeed record of 352 miles per hour in Santa Ana, California. Future record breaking planes were not built by private individuals, as the H-1 was. The H-1 was a very innovative plane for its time.

Howard Hughes may be today mostly remembered for his personality quirks, but he was also a many talented, with skills in many fields including aerospace engineering. This was not the only air speed record he set.

The H-1 can now be seen at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

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