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October 25th to 28th Atwood, Burgess, and Cliff Webster were flight testing the first Burgess-Wright hydroaeroplane at Marblehead. It was a standard Burgess-Wright with floats attached to the regular skids. Atwood evidently severed his connection with the Burgess Company and Curtis during November, 1911, after a very outstanding season of flying accomplishments. He had astounded the aviation world with his remarkable cross-country flights with but a few weeks of actual practice and reportedly undertaken principally to gain experience.
About December 1, 1911, Atwood became Chief Instructor for the newly formed Clayton and Craig Flying School of Boston and negotiations were underway for the use of the Saugus Race Track for their field, with plans to instruct with both land and water equipment. On December 20th, Atwood took delivery of a new Burgess-Wright hydro for the school. Leaving Marblehead with H.C. Moulton as a passenger he flew southward over Swampscott, Lynn, and started up the Saugus River intending to land, but the tide was running out so he turned and flew out over the ocean to Nahant and Bass Point, then returned to Point of Pines for a landing. The next day Atwood started from Point of Pines and flew south along the Massachusetts coast to the north entrance of the Cape Cod Canal, then along the canal to Buzzards Bay, across the bay to Newport and Providence, Rhode Island, and landed on Narragansett Bay, a flight of 130 miles in two hours, forty minutes--a new Hydro Distance Record for an aviator alone. There Atwood made exhibition flights and carried passengers through December 25th.
On January 2, 1912, Atwood started from Point of Pines to fly to Portland, Maine, with the wheel landing gear installed. After flying about two miles over water the magneto shorted out, he made a forced landing and suffered a severe ducking. He was quickly picked up by a fishing boat, but the plane was so badly damaged it had to be returned to the factory for repairs. In late January announcement was made of the establishment of a Point of Pines hydro