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KNABENSHUE #2

The maching was caught by a strong gust and turned over and over, breaking the landing gear, the tall piece, horizontal rudders, both propellers and the luges holding the base of the motor was broken off. After this accident, the machine was shipped back to Dayton. and stored in the back of the shop without making repairs.

Time passed and still no one made a controlled flight over a predetermined course. On Oct. 25, 1904 I steered my small dirigible around a circular course above Forest Park in St. Louis, making seven miles in thirty seven minutes, at a rate of twelve miles per hour. This was about 22 months before the Wrights made their first controlled directional flight with a heaver than air machine.

In 1905 the Wrights were flying a new powered machine from Simms Field near Dayton. Everyone ignored them and newspapers didn't even send out reporters. A streetcar line ran along the edge of the field and it was not until the astonished motorman and conductor kept insisting the Boys were really flying that the news about their activities got into print. Even then few people believed.

This machine was called the Model A and was much improved as compared with the Kitty Hawk Model, [[strikethrough]] The [[/strikethrough]] and [[strikethrough]] xke [[/strikethrough]] closely resembled the Model B which was used for exhibition work. The Wrights kept on building and flying new machines, at the same time I was busy building and flying new and better types of dirigibles, they kept to their "scientific" approach, while I made money and paying for my experiments by giving public exhibitions.