Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes is most famous for designing and piloting the Hughes H-1 Racer, in which he set a world airspeed record of 352 mph in 1935. He is also widely remembered for the massive H-4 Hercules, a wooden flying boat famously nicknamed the 'Spruce Goose.' The H-4 Hercules is famous for completing only one brief flight over Long Beach Harbor in 1947.

No, the North American X-15 was an experimental rocket plane tested in the 1960s by military test pilots like Neil Armstrong and Scott Crossfield. While Hughes was a pioneering aviator who set multiple transcontinental speed records, he was never involved with the X-15 program. His aviation achievements occurred primarily during the Golden Age of Aviation in the 1930s and 40s.

Howard Hughes acquired a controlling interest in Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1939. Under his ownership, TWA became a massive international carrier, heavily investing in new technologies like the Lockheed Constellation airliner. He eventually lost control of the airline due to antitrust lawsuits in the 1960s.

Hughes established the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932, which became a massive defense contractor. He personally funded the development of innovative aerodynamics, retractable landing gear, and heavily influenced aircraft design. His company eventually pioneered satellite communications and missile systems long after he stopped actively flying.