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Immediately after the New York Show the plane on exhibit was taken to the flying field at Mineola, Long Island, where Hilliard started flying it on January 22nd. Evidently Atwood and Hammond had persisted and there is evidence that Burgess may have authorized their trip to Mineola at that time where, hopefully, Hilliard might possibly give them some instruction. That month Burgess himself taught to fly by Wright Company instructor Frank Coffyn at the Wright winter school in Atlanta, Georgia. 

At Mineola, Hilliard did make occasional practice flights, weather permitting, but always maintained that conditions were not suitable to train pupils, so Atwood and Hammond got no instruction. Hilliard had a bad smashup on April 17th and the plane was so badly damaged it was returned to the factory to be rebuilt. After waiting around for several weeks Atwood and Hammond became very discouraged and decided to leave. Atwood finally returned home but Hammond remained, determined he would stay until he had learned to fly. Later, he joined Capt. T. S. Baldwin at Mineola, Long Island, who taught him to fly the Baldwin biplane. 

At Boston, Atwood finally made arrangements with Burgess Company and Curtis[[crossed-out]] s [[/crossed-out]] to be sent to the Wright School at Dayton, Ohio, with the understanding that after he had completed instruction he was to return as instructor and demonstration pilot for the company. The first Burgess-Wright Model F plane was ready to fly about April 1, 1911, and the company started to produce some for immediate purchasers, among the first of whom were such well known aviators as Charles K. Hamilton and Louis Mitchell of Memphis, Tennessee. This new plane was essentially the same as the standard Wright machine, using the Wright-built engine and propellers, but embodying Burgess construction features. 

Atwood arrived in Dayton the second week in May and was taught to fly by Wright School instructor Al Welsh. Ten days later he flew solo after about two hours of instruction. He was back in Boston on May 25th and anxious to show Burgess that he could really fly and that he was qualified to instruct.