Daily Survival Guide

Today in Survival History
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The Spruce Goose, the largest plane ever built, had its first and only flight on this day in 1947. The seaplane was made entirely of birch, had a wingspan of 320 feet, and weighed 140 tons. It was designed to be a cargo and crew transport, and necessitated eight powerful engines and a huge fuel reservoir to fly over large distances. Howard Hughes, the plane's inventor, manned the flight, getting the plane 70 feet off the ground at a top speed of 80 miles per hour, The military, however was never convinced of the practicality of a wooden aircraft.