Smiling for the cameras, Hughes Aviation's Number Two man, Johnny Johnson, announced that the company plans to produce the world's largest zeppelin. "The design has been underway for some time, in complete secrecy of course," said Johnson, though construction has yet to start.

Dubbed the Hollywood Star, the proposed airship will measure nearly 4,000 feet, almost three-quarters of a mile, in length. No other aircraft will even come close to its size; today's largest zeppelins are only around 2,500 feet in length. Hollywood Star will be so large, it will include a special rail car to ferry passengers from one end to the other. Johnson touted the amenities the craft will offer, including a lifting capacity sufficient for enormous cargoes, and passenger facilities to rival the most luxurious oceangoing vessels; a ballroom, fine restaurants, and other things.

Critics were quick to jump on the anti-Hughes bandwagon, branding the idea ridiculous and even impossible to build. Some engineers believe that the scale of the ship will make it inefficient to operate, costing too much to ever fly profitably. But others were not so eager to criticize, after having to eat their unkind words about the airworthiness of the Spruce Goose. That much-maligned craft was proven a success under unusual circumstances, when air pirate Nathan Zachary stole it earlier this year, flying the massive plane away from Hughes Aviation's security forces.