Scale: 1/20
Length: 15"
Wingspan: 15"
Code: KH1BTE

During his work on his movie Hell's Angels, Howard Hughes employed Glenn Odekirk to maintain the fleet of over 100 aircraft used in the production. The two men shared a common interest in aviation and hatched a plan to build a record-beating aircraft. The aircraft was given many names, but is commonly known as the H-1. It was the first aircraft model produced by the Hughes Aircraft company.

Design studies began in 1934 with an exacting, large scale model (approximately two-three ft in length) that was tested in Caltech's wind tunnel, revealing a speed potential of 365 mph.

The H-1 is a racing aircraft built by Howard Hughes' company, setting a world speed airspeed record and a trnascontinental speed record across the United States.

The H-1 was the first aircraft produced by Hughes Aircraft Corporation. The H-1's maiden flight was in 1935, breaking the world land-plane speed record of 352 mph averaged over 4 times passes with Hughes at the controls. In October 1934, the world seaplane speed record was 440 mph set by a Macchi M.C.72. Hughes made minor chnages to the H-1 Racer to make it more suitable for a transcontinental speed record attempt. The most significant change was the new, longer set of wings, which gave the plane a lighter wing loading. In January 1937, Hughes set a new transcontinental speed record, flying non-stop from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. His average speed over the flight was 322 mph. Hughes assumed the United States Army Air Force to embrace the H-1s new design and make it as a basis for new generation of U.S. fighter planes, but it didn't happen when the USAAF used a fleet of P-39 Airacobras and P-40 Warhawks during World War II.

In 1975, the original H-1 Racer was donated to the Smithsonian and is on display at the National Air and Space Museum.