In the late 1920s Howard Hughe’s company, Hughe’s Aircraft began work on a racing aircraft. It was designed from the ground up to be as streamlined as they could make it, while also using the latest technology. The Hughes H-1 Racer was the resulting finished creation in 1929.

The company created numerous groundbreaking technologies to achieve its dream. It had everything from exactingly machined rivets that left the aluminum skin smooth to the touch, to retractable landing gears. It was a marvel of engineering, and it was all done in a bid to reduce drag.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

It was modified further with exchangeable wings; different sets were designed for different purposes. One was high-speed, while another was for long-distance travel. Everything in its design was being done in the name of efficiency toward their overall goal.

It was one they achieved.

The H-1 smashed the previous over-landplane record of 314.32 mph, by clocking in at 352.39 mph.

Hughes crashed the plane into a field after the test as it had run out of fuel. He is recorded as saying, “We can fix her; she’ll go faster.”

Which they did, and then they moved onto a joint project with some of the other greatest minds of their generation. The result shook the world.