McMINNVILLE, OR -- Howard Hughes’ famous H-4 Hercules flying boat - most commonly known as the "Spruce Goose" - has called McMinnville’s Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum home since 1993.
The museum’s Melissa Grace announced Tuesday, an agreement with the Aero Club of Southern California to keep the giant wooden plane in Oregon. She says the museum will take title of the historic plane in a matter of weeks. "The museum actually bought the aircraft in 1992 under a long-term payment. The Aero Club uses the payments to fund a scholarship program, and it's annual presentation of the Howard Hughes Memorial Award to outstanding aviation and aerospace pioneers."
Grace said terms of the agreement aren’t being disclosed. There was a dispute over the aero club receiving a percentage of revenue generated by the plane.
The plane was completed in 1947 and only flew once. It’s actually made of laminated birch, not spruce. It's 79-feet high, 218-feet long and has a wingspan of 320-feet.
