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Although LaChapelle was older than the other students, the Wrights agreed to teach him. Part of his regular pay was taken in flying lessons. At the earlier school in Montgomery, Alabama, during April, 1910, Orville Wright had taught Brookins and partially trained Hoxsey and Welsh. Welsh returned to Dayton with Orville on May 8th and preparations were made to start the larger summer school at Simms Station at once. There Orville Wright completed the training of Welsh and started teaching LaChapelle. About Juune 1st Brookins and Hoxsey returned from the southern school, then Brookins and Welsh took over the instruction duties. LaChapelle continued to receive instruction while Coffyn and Johnstone started their training. 

An intensive training program was carried on during the first ten days of June to develop an efficient team of skillful pilots. Their debut in exhibition flying was to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 13th to 18th and they were all trying to be as ready as possible for the event. The Wright Company had five planes there, and throughout that week, with very little flying experience, Brookins, Hoxsey, Welsh, Johnstone, Coffyn and LaChapelle all made flights without accidents. From there LaChapelle flew at Lakeside, near Montreal, Canada, June 28th to July 5th with Brookins, Johnstone, Coffyn and DeLesseps. He and the same group then flew at Toronto, Canada, starting July 14th. On August 10th to 20th he flew at Asbury Park, New Jersey, with Brookins, Hoxsey, Johnston and Coffyn, and August 25th to September 5th was at Detroit with Brookins and Hoxsey. This apparently was his las exhibition engagement. 

The Wright Brothers later learned that LaChapelle was handicapped by extremely poor eyesight. While with the exhibition team he flew less than the others. It is not clear whether he realized his impairment or whether the others observed his handicap and cautioned him against flying. It is known that his flying was considered dangerous. He may have traveled with the group more as a supervisor of their mechanical work, for he was an unusually competent mechanic. He never obtained an

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