hich is located about a quarter of a
mile north of the Kill Devil Sand Hill, in Dare County, North Carolina.
The wind at the time of the flights had a velocity of twenty-seven miles
an hour at 10 o'clock, and 24 miles an hour at noon, as recorded by the
anemometer at the Kitty Hawk weather bureau station. This anemometer is
30 feet from the ground. Our own measurements, made with a
hand-anemometer at a height of four feet from the ground, showed a
velocity of about 22 miles when the first flight was made, and 20-1/2
miles at the time of the last one. The flights were directly against the
wind. Each time the machine started from the level ground by its own
power alone, with no assistance from gravity or any other sources
whatever. After a run of about 40 feet along a mono-rail track, which
held the machine eight inches from the ground, it rose from the track
and, under the direction of the operator, climbed upward on an inclined
course till a height of 8 or 10 feet from the ground was reached, after
which the course was kept as near horizontal as the wind gusts and the
limited skill of the operator would permit. Into the teeth of a December
gale the Flyer made its way forward with a speed of 10 miles an hour
over the ground, and 30 to 35 miles an hour through the air. It had
previously been decided that, for reasons of personal safety, these
first trials should be made as close to the ground as possible. The
height chosen was scarcely sufficient for manoeuvring in so gusty a wind
and with no previous acquaintance with the conduct of the machine and
its controlling mechanisms. Consequently the first flight was short. The
succeeding flights rapidly increased in length and at the fourth trial a
flight of 59 seconds was made, in which time the machine flew a little
more than a half-mile through the air and a distance of 852 feet over
the ground. The landing was due to a slight error of judgement on the
part of the operator. After passing over a little hummock of sand, in
attempting to bring the machine down to the desired height the operator
turned the rudder too far, and the machine turned downward more quickly
than had been expected. The reverse movement of the rudder was a
fraction of a second too late to prevent the machine from touching the
ground and thus ending the flight. The whole occurrence occupied little,
if any, more than one second of time.

'Only those who are acquainted with practical aeronautics can appreciat