Existing comment:
1908 Wright Aeroplane Trials:
The Wrights' contract required that, prior to its acceptance, trials by held at Ft. Myer in Arlington, Virginia to demonstrate that the aeroplane could accomplish all the requirements of the Signal Corps Specifications.
Since the Wrights had also signed a contract with a French firm to manufacture and license the Wright machine in France, Wilbur went off to Europe and Orville oversaw the demonstrations at Ft. Myer. The tests began in September to the delight of crowds who traveled from far and near to see proof that man could really fly.
There was no building to shelter the aeroplane, so it was temporarily stored in the field's old battalion shed. Orville himself stayed in Washington, DC, arriving before dawn each day on the trolley, meticulously dressed in a starched collar, suit and tie.
Orville made several test flights at the field in early September, trying to get accustomed to the very small open space at Ft. Myer which has surrounded by tall trees and buildings.
On September 17, Orville asked Lieut. Selfridge if he would like to accompany him on one of his flights. Selfridge, who had worked early on with Alexander Graham Bell and Glenn Curtiss as part of the Aerial Experiment Association, had asked the War Department to detail him to the Wright trials as an observer. In August, he was made a member of the Aeronautical Board.
Tragedy struck that day as the aeroplane's right propeller fractured, striking one of the rudder's bracing wires and sending the aeroplane out of control. Lieut. Selfridge suffered a fractured skull, dying a few hours later. Orville, though seriously hurt in the crash, recovered from his injuries.
The Wrights, anxious to restore the public's confidence about their machine, announced that they would demonstrate their plane's reliability at the first opportunity. The War Department granted them an extension of their contract until the summer of 1909. |