Flying Risk Taker
Hughes’ fortune mainly came from his business, the Hughes Aircraft Company. He didn’t just helm the company but also his own product. Since he was a trained pilot, Hughes would sometimes perform tests for the Aircraft Company himself. However, these tests put him in several dangerous situations.
Howard Hughes and Roscoe Turner, a stunt flyer. Photo by Underwood Archives / UIG / Shutterstock
During a test-pilot session in 1946, Hughes crashed a military prototype. Luckily, he survived, but doctors prescribed codeine to him for his injuries. The pills did more harm than good. Eventually, Hughes developed a dependency on the drug, and, sadly, the addiction plagued him for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only time Hughes crashed his planes.