The Aviator
Movie Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikFDK4cuQA
XF-11 Test Flight
1946.July 7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj1AGhdJB3A
這部電影 The Aviator 介紹如下:
霍華休斯（李奧納多狄卡皮歐 飾）在美國歷史上是名氣勝過總統的大亨，他富可敵國，是美國建國以來第一位億萬富翁，事業版圖涵蓋航空業、賭城飯店業和好萊塢電影業。他和奧斯卡影后凱薩 琳赫本（凱特布蘭琪 飾）有過3年戀情，也和當時在影壇與瑪麗蓮夢露齊名的美豔女星艾娃嘉納（凱特貝琴薩 飾）傳出緋聞，更一手捧紅三０年代傾倒眾生的銀幕性感偶像珍哈露。霍華休斯被譽為「情場大亨The World''s Greatest Womanizer」，他豐富的閱歷就像電影般精彩，本片將帶領觀眾一窺這位傳奇人物的人生。
霍華休斯的全名是Howard Robard Hughes Jr.，父親是哈佛大學畢業的律師，卻因買賣租賃德州的油井而致富，同時又發明、出租深井鑽頭，讓霍華休斯含著金湯匙出世。
1906年霍華休斯生於德州休斯頓，就讀於加州理工學院，功課差，但數學成績非常好，而且喜愛機械。11歲他就會自組收音機，13歲已可拼裝出一部摩托 車，15歲學開飛機（栽下熱愛飛行的種子），16歲喪母，17歲喪父，留給他的遺產要到21歲才可動用。但是霍華休斯急於運用財富來成就事業，所以他親自 出庭，要求提早接收遺產，而法官也同意了。此舉證明他的個性執著、企圖心強、膽識不凡、能力出眾。長大後他果然成為航空業鉅子、好萊塢大製片家、賭城拉斯 維加斯的飯店經營大亨，他也是屢創紀錄的英勇飛行員、英俊瀟灑的花花公子，留下許多趣聞軼事。
霍華休斯遺傳了父親的發明頭腦，熱愛開飛機的他常與工程師討論如何改善飛機性能，後來他甚至自行設計飛機，並堅持自己試飛，讓屬下擔心不已，卻也留下輝煌 的成就，例如：他親自試飛五次，平均時速352.39英里, 打破了法國人314.32英里的世界紀錄。一夕之間，霍華休斯從娛樂版的花花公子升格成為全國性報紙頭條新聞人物，因為親自駕駛自行設計的飛機打破世界飛 行紀錄，對全世界的富翁來講，也只有他做得到。
霍華休斯對電影深為著迷，因此遷居洛杉磯，在1926年買入125家電影院的經營權，開始了他的製片和導演事業。其中最出名的，是他1930年出品的空戰 鉅片【地獄天使Hell''s Angels】，當時他經常親自帶領40 架飛機在洛杉磯附近尋找完美的雲層當作背景，這部電影至今仍深受好萊塢大導演馬丁史柯西斯的喜愛，他因而決定執導本片【情場大亨】向霍華休斯致敬。
感情豐富的霍華休斯有過三次婚姻，曾和凱薩琳赫本、艾娃嘉納等好萊塢當紅女星談戀愛，並大力捧紅珍哈露成為國際影星。霍華休斯後來還入主 RKO電影公司，製作過許多膾炙人口的電影，如：【疤面煞星Scarface】、【亡命之徒The Outlaw】、【The Front Page】、【Flying Leathernecks】等。
霍華休斯在1939年入主搖搖欲墜的環球航空公司，因緣湊巧以很便宜的價格接收了許多軍方未採用的研發成果與經驗，率先提供橫越大西洋的航線，開始讓環球航空獨霸市場大餅，霍華休斯因此成為美國第一位億萬富豪。
他閱歷豐富的一生就像電影般精彩，就連拉斯維加斯能有今日的「賭城」之稱，也都靠他建立。霍華休斯在1966年買下內華達州的金沙飯店（Desert Inn），從此介入了賭城飯店業，之後又陸續買下紳士（the Sands）、邊疆（the Frontie）、銀拖鞋（Silver Slipper）等飯店，將賭城飯店正式帶入企業化的經營，奠定拉斯維加斯的「賭城之王」寶座。第二次世界大戰結束後，他旗下電子公司的發明還為人造衛星 帶來革命性的影響。
霍華休斯在50年代的一場墜機意外中大難不死，卻也從此失去了健康，幾乎喪失聽力，需要長期使用嗎啡來壓制頭痛與背痛。1971年一本經他授權的「霍華休 斯傳記」出版，但作者卻因捏造不實內容被抓去關，直到霍華休斯1976年過世，結束了傳奇的一生，他的許多秘密和謠言真相仍未解開。
本片【情場大亨】聚焦於1928年至1947年之間，也就是從霍華休斯開拍空戰鉅片【地獄天使Hell''s Angels】開始，到他著手建造、試飛世上最大的巨無霸木製飛機「Spruce Goose」為止（拍不到他經營賭城的晚年生活）。
女人、電影和飛行，是霍華休斯的最愛。他從繼承一筆遺產崛起成為億萬富豪，他如何變成好萊塢大製片家，他和好萊塢女星的愛情故事，他樹立環球航空的霸業、 和泛美航空總裁崔普（亞歷鮑德溫 飾）之間的競爭，他出席電影【亡命之徒The Outlaw】的電檢公聽會、美國國會召開的「Spruce Goose」巨無霸飛機公聽會，力辯群雄…。片中的飛行風景、機智對白、動作場面、情侶和商場競爭的衝突、主要人物性格的成熟與轉變，讓本片劇力萬鈞！
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Hughes XF-11
The Hughes XF-11 was a prototype for a two-seat, twin-engine reconnaissance airplane with a relatively small, pressurized, central crew compartment and twin tails on long, slender booms. The crew of two including a pilot and a relief-pilot/navigator could change places during flight. The relief pilot also performed the duty of photographer. The 67-foot-long airplane had a maximum takeoff gross weight of 58,300 pounds and a 101-foot wingspan. The XF-11 was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-4360-31 radial air-cooled, 28 cylinder engines. The cylinders were arranged in four radial rows of seven cylinders in each row. Seven magnetos were mounted on each engine to furnish the ignition. An injection type carburetor, and two single stage single speed turbo-superchargers were installed on each engine.
Each engine powered a set of Hamilton-Standard eight-blade, counter-rotating, superhydromatic propellers. The propellers were of the constant speed, full feathering, reversible-pitch type.
The XF-11 was an all-metal monoplane with tricycle landing gear. The ailerons and spoilers were mechanically synchronized. Conventional operation of the ailerons in the "UP" position for the left or right wing automatically actuated the spoilers.
The XF-11 evolved from an earlier Hughes project called the D-2. The D-2 had a similar configuration, but was constructed primarily of Duramold, a resin-impregnated plywood molded under heat and high pressure. It was powered by two 2800-hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-49 radial engines driving three-bladed propellers.
The D-2 was designed for breaking speed records, but with the onset of the war in Europe in 1939 Hughes offered the design to the U.S. Army Air Corps with the hope of winning a military contract for a pursuit aircraft.
Army officials approved the project, but in May 1940 Hughes began to change his concept of the airplane's mission. For a while, it was improbably considered as a bomber, but it could not carry a significant payload. Hughes also recommended the D-2 for the bomber escort role, but it was not sufficiently maneuverable.
In 1942, Lt. Gen. H.H. "Hap" Arnold approved procurement of the D-2 for testing at Wright Field. Hughes, however, wanted to test it himself first. The major subassemblies of the D-2 were constructed at the Hughes plant in Culver City and trucked to a hangar at Harper Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert for final assembly.
Initial ground trials in the spring of 1942 resulted in short hops above the runway and indicated some aileron instability and control problems. Hughes made some changes and the D-2 made its first real flight on 20 June 1943. Howard Hughes himself piloted that flight and a second one on the same day. He noted some additional controllability problems and grounded the airplane subject to modification.
An increase in wingspan failed to solve the problem. Hughes concluded that major changes would be required. While the D-2 was undergoing modifications at Harper Lake, the Army requested it be flown to Bolling Field, D.C. for inspection. Although the airplane was in no condition to be flown and the design remained unproven, Hughes proposed that the Army purchase three different production variants with various roles. Army officials were unimpressed and recommended in August 1943 that development of the airplane be discontinued.
Hughes continued to work on his own, modifying the airplane into a new configuration called the D-5. In November 1944, with work still not yet completed, the D-2/D-5 was lost in a mysterious fire. Hughes claimed that a lightning bolt struck the hangar at Harper Lake, setting it ablaze.
Hughes now set his sights on the all-metal XF-11. He reached an agreement with Army officials at Wright Field, Ohio, to build two experimental prototypes and 98 production airframes.
住戶編號:1937096
檢舉原因
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