Winter 1904• Lawyers and patents • St. Louis competition• Dealing with the press Reports of the first flight The Rascals D.A.Willey – and A. Herring• Begin work on 3 engines 4 inch bore - 4 cylinder 4 1/8 inch bore – 4 cylinder 4 inch bore - 8 cylinder (never completed)• Begin work on 3 airframes Assemble the ‘04

Spring 1904

• Begin mid-May Press Invited Engine problems Weather problems• Handling problems Stalls• Decide to move CG in July• Propulsion tests

Summer 1904

• Gaining experience

• Begin to make turns (Flt 15 - Aug 2)

• Take-off problems (236 ft track)

• Many crashes - pine spars

• Propulsion tests

• Exceeds KH flight (1340 ft Flt 28 -Aug13)

Fall 1904

• First use of catapult (Flt 40 – Sept 7)• Half circle (Flt 49 – Sept 15)• First complete circle (Flt 52 – Sept20) Spectators• Propulsion tests• Can’t stop turns (Flt 54 – Sept 26)• Increase altitude – fly over cattle (Flt 70 – Oct14)• Stake pulled out!• Multiple circle flights (Flts 68, 70, 75 ,80, 82, 87, etc.)• 4 circle-5 minute flights (Flt 82 – Nov 9) (Flt 100 – Dec 1)• Accidental engine shut-offs• 105 flights - 45 total minutes by Dec 9

Winter & Spring 1905

• Alternate locations

• Propulsion tests

• Finish new airframe

• Letters to the War Department

• Foreign visitor

Summer 1905

• Begin new flight tests Jun 23• Problems with early flights• Design changes blinkers separate rudder control• Big crash (Flt 9 – Jul 14)• Re-design front rudder• Resume flights Aug 24• Duplicate best ’04 flight by Flt 21-Sep 6

Fall 1905

• Multiple circle flights (Flts 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24)• First figure 8 (Flt 25-Sep 8)• Propulsion tests New props and sprockets on Sept 25• Enlarge and move rudder• Sep 26 – 18 min flt, Sep 28 – 9 min flt The Honey Locust• Sep 29 - 20 min flt, Sep 30 – 17 min• Oct 3 – 25 min, Oct 4 – 33 min (hot bearings)

October 5, 1905

(Flt 48) – 24 ½ miles - 38 minutes 3 sec

fuel exhausted

Mission Accomplished

Story appears in Daily News and Cinci Post

Experiments discontinued for the present

Letter to Secretary of War