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operations to take place at Baddeck in the summer and at Hammondsport, New York in the winter. Their objective was to try to develop a flying machine and it was Dr. Bell's intention that each of the four young engineers have a turn at designing a plane, with all the associates always working jointly on each project.
Lt. Selfridge was given leave from the Army to assist the group and the first project was an attempted flight of one of Dr. Ball's 42-foot span kites, called the CYGNET. It lifted Selfridge 168 feet on December 6th, 1907 towed by a boat, but was wrecked in landing.
The group then moved to Hammondsport where they built and experimented with a Chanute-type glider. At the same time work was started on their first powered machine, to Selfridge's design. Called the RED WING it was a biplane, using an 8-cylinder air-cooled 40 H.P. Curtiss engine, and had two skid-like runners to attempt take-offs from the ice on Lake Kouka. This machine, which had no ailerons, was completed on March 8, 1908 and on the 12th Baldwin made a hop of 318 feet, to become the first Canadian to fly. A few days later Baldwin tried it and wrecked the machine.
Their second machine, called the WHITE WING, was completed May 14th, made to Baldwin's design. It had a new engine, ailerons and a tricycle landing gear using motorcycle wheels. Baldwin made the first flight on May 18th, then both Selfridge and Curtiss made hops. McCurdy had not yet flown. He tried his very first hop on May 23rd and wrecked the machine, but was not injured.
The third machine, the JUNE BUG, a Curtiss design, was completed on May 26th. This was similar to the WHITE WING but had a new engine. Curtiss flew it first on June 20th for a distance of 1,140 feet. This plane flew so well the associates decided to try for the Scientific American Cup which required a flight of one kilometer in a straight line which Curtiss accomplished with ease at Hammondsport on July 4th. The JUNE BUG proved to be a very satisfactory plane and al four men were able to get considerable flying practice on it, while McCurdy really "developed his first wings" on this machine.
On September 17th, 1908 Lt. Selfridge was killed while riding as a passenger

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