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spent a few years in the Army, and then resigned. He had designed a bombsight and was very anxious to have it tested. We, of course, were only too glad to carry out the flying tests. Unfortunately, he was a large man, over fix feet in height and 200 pounds in weight. With the bombsight weighing 20 pounds and an appropriate bomb being in the order of 25 pounds, the tests produced a very heavy load for our underpowered planes. As I was the lightest pilot on the field I was assigned to the pilot duty for these tests. Modifying the airplane to make maneuvering space for Mr. Scott, his bombsight, and bomb was a major undertaking, but it served a worthy cause. By using every "trick of the trade" I was able to get the plane to a height of 600 feet for the bombing tests. The tests were unusually good and resulted in great interest throughout the armed forces of all countries, particularly of France and Germany, as to the applicability and effectiveness of aerial bombing. Certainly the last two wars have more than justified the logic of the interest which they showed at this initial bombing exercise. 
The next year, in the summer of 1912, France which, at that time, was the leading nation in aviation, both private and military, held a large aviation meet in which Michelin donated a large sum of money to give as prizes for the best bombsight, the most accurate bombsight, and the sight that scored the greatest number of hits within a prescribed target. It is interesting to note that all three were won by Riley Scott; no other sight was produced that could even compare with it. I merely mention this to stress the fact that in the early days of aviation in this country we were consistently first in developing a military use for the airplane while being consistently last in utilizing these capabilities. This result was directly attributable to a lack of official support and money. 
It was the intention of the War Department, at this time, to teach officers both the Wright and Curtiss airplanes,- particularly it was desired to keep at least two manufacturers in business. This gave rise to a rather cumbersome problem as the control systems differed to a major degree, which required that pilots develop separate aptitudes and techniques for each plane. After examining the Curtiss plan thoroughly I decided that to learn to fly it would not be too difficult. I began by using the "grass-cutter" which was equipped with Curtiss controls, but without sufficient power for actual flight. When I had become sufficiently familiar with the control set-up I moved on up to the Curtiss plane. During the following year I flew this Curtiss plane in the Army maneuvers at Bridgeport, Connecticut. 
In August I was ordered to Marblehead, Massachusetts to visit the Burgess-Curtiss factory on a inspection trip. While there. on September 1st, the Boston Aviation Meet at Squantam Field was inaugurated. Large prizes were available and the Meet took on an international character. Aviator from England, France, and the United States participated.One well-known British designer came with a Wright B equipped with a LeRohne motor. This engine gave him addtional power and speed over the standard Wright B with its four cylinder motor. I was asked by Mr. Burgess and Mr. Curtiss to enter this meet as pilot of their B-type Wright. I immediately wired the War Department for authority and leave for this event, which was approved. It was felt that if Army aviators competed with civilians it would make the public appreciate that progress was being mad in military aviation. I was very fortunate in scoring high in these events. I entered such tests as spot landings, figure eights, message pick-ups, and a Tri-State cross-country race. On the figure eight test I very nearly lost my life. A brisk wind was blowing and the course was with and against the wind. On one flight, going with the wind, I banked too steeply and a sudden gust threw me into a vertical position where the plane began to teeter as if it were going all the way over on its back. I reversed the turn using my left hand to pull the elevator while putting my foot on the warping lever and pressing forward
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