Web2:45 former staffer spills on fugitive billionaire’s mysterious stay at vancouver hotel. In 1972, howard hughes, the billionaire who had made a fortune in aviation and the film industry,. Webmcculloch tried anyway, and succeeded. Now time’s new york bureau chief, he recalls what happened: I assembled a list of about 50 questions, and passed. Webon march 15, 1972, the vancouver sun dropped one of the biggest bombshells in its history: The reclusive billionaire howard hughes had flown to vancouver and was holed. But who was he really? Webthree views of american industrialist, aviator, and film producer howard hughes as he speaks with journalists during a senate hearing to determine whether.