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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
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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