Howard's Whirlybirds : Fonthill Media : 9781781554197 : 1781554196 : 01 Jul 2014 : Howard Hughes, the movie mogul, aviation pioneer and political hound dog, has always fascinated the public with his mixture of secrecy, dashing lifestyle and reclusiveness. Companies responsible for major technological leaps often become household names. An exception is Howard Hughes's pioneering helicopter company, Hughes Helicopters, a name that has fallen into oblivion. Yet most schoolboys in the world have heard of the company's prize-winning product: the Apache helicopter. Hughes popularized the light helicopter trainer, mass-produced the first turbine powered light observation helicopter, led the way in hot cycle rotor craft propulsion research and, finally, developed the world's most advanced attack helicopter that was purchased and saw service with the UK. Here's how some of the world's most innovative helicopters were developed. Covering the period from the Second World War until the mid-1980s,