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in a heavier-than-air machine. Knabenshue decided to call on the Wrights following his exhibition at Columbus. This was in 1906 be-fore the Wrights had flown at Fort Myer and in France, and they said they were not interested when Knabenshue suggested that they sell him planes for exhibitions. He explained to the Wrights that he had been making dirigible flights at the big State Fairs, besides promot-ing public exhibitions and knew how to make all the proper contacts. He explained to them his dirigible flight at the St. Louis World's Fair and told them to let him know if they ever decided to give exhi-bitions. The Wrights agreed to consider his proposal at some future date.
        Lincoln Beachey, flying his dirigible with Knabenshue's troupe, put on some spectacular flying exhibitions with his dirigible in 1906 and 1907. He distinguished himself by flying his dirigible around the dome of the Capitol at Washington, D.C. On June 25, 1907, he piloted another airship across New York City, circled Brooklyn, and landed in Battery Park. Taking off again, he was moving across lower Manhattan when the dirigible bumped into a tall building and Beachey fell into the east River. Injured only in vanity, Beachey continued to fly dirigibles for another four years. Inevitably, he began to yearn to fly airplanes, and in 1911 enroleed at the Glenn Curtiss school at Hammondsport, N.Y. He was later to become the greatest acrobatic pilot of all times.
        In May, 1907, Knabenshue hired Earl Hess to fly his dirig-ibles for him, under a two-year contract. Hess filled an engagement at Hartford, Connecticut, in late May. Following this, he made
  
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