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was first flown by Knabenshue at Chutes Park, Los Angeles, on February 13th, 1905. Following this Knabenshue left and Baldwin took the ship to Fortland, Oregon, where he taught Lincoln Beachey to operate it. Later that year Beachey made 25 flights for him at the Lewis and Clark Expostition.
Toward the end of 1905 Baldwin visited Curtiss at Hammondsport, New York, which was the beginning of a lifelong and valued friendship. While there he bought a 4-cylinder engine for new airship, called the 20th Century, with which he made 53 flights in various parts of the United States. Late in 1906 this ship was lost in a fire in San Francisco.
Following this Baldwin returned to Hammondsport, where an airship hangar was erected and in it he made a new ship, powered by a 4 cylinder, 16 [[strikethrough]] H.P.[[//strikethrough]] Curtiss engine driving two propellers, one behind the other, rotating in opposite directions. Baldwin made the first flight with this ship on June 2nd, 1907, and during the tests that followed Curtiss also operated it, probably his first experience in the air. Baldwin then flew this ship in exhibition in New Jersey and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. At that time, he also had two additional California Arrow-type ships under construction at Hammondsport, which he later [[strikethrough]]entered and[[//strikethrough]] flew at the St. Louis Balloon and Airship competition in October, and then at the State Fair Grounds in Jackson, Mississippi. During 1907 Baldwin was granted F.A.I. (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) Airship Pilot License No. 1;[[strikethrough]]and[[//strikethrough]] he already held Balloon Certifcate No. 9.
In December, Baldwin was asked to bid on an airship for the Signal Corps, U.S. Army. was awarded the contract in January, 1908, with delivery scheduled [[strikethrough]]to[[//strikethrough]] at Fort M[[strikethrough]]e[[//strikethrough]]yer, Virginia by July 27th. Designated the Army Dirigible No. 1, it was to carry two men, 150 pounds of ballast, and fuel for two hours at a speed of 20 [[strikethrough]]M.P.H.[[//strikethrough]]mph. Ascent and descent [[strikethrough]]was[[//strikethrough]] were to be performed by inclining the long cylindrical bag upward or downward, or by dropping ballast to rise or valving gas descend.[[strikethroughh]]by mechanical means and[[//strikethrough]] An internal ballonet of one-eighth the size of the main envelope was to be pressurized by an air pump to maintain equal pressure at all time. The [[strikethrough]]ship [[//strikethrough]] airship bag was 84 feet long, 18 feet in diameter, and had a frame 60 feet long underneath which carried the men, motor and controlling surfaces. There were large biplane surfaces forward, [[strikethrough]]with[[//strikethrough]] and a rudder and elevator at the rear interconnected. Curtiss made a new 4 cylinder, 30 [[strikethrough]]H.P. [[//strikethrough]] water-cooled engine for this ship which drove a 12 foot tractor (in front) propeller at 450 [[strikethrough]]R.P.M[[//strikethrough]]. The mechanic[[strikethrough]]ian[[//strikethrough]] rode