 left to right: Duval La Chapelle, Arthur Welsh, Orville Wright, James Davis, Ralph Johnstone, Frank Coffyn | The Wrights hired Roy Knabenshue of California to manage the team. Adirigible pilot, he already had considerable experience traveling thecountry and securing contracts for exhibition flights. The Wrights quicklygathered a handful of students, and began training in Montgomery, Alabama,in March, 1910. The students were an eclectic handful of young men. WalterBrookins had known the Wrights from the time he was four. Al Welsh had beena bookkeeper in Washington, D.C. Arch Hoxsey was a mechanic and racecardriver who had known Knabenshue. Training was begun by Orville himself, but was quickly handed over to Brookins, and Welsh, who trained the rest of the pilots. The school returned to Dayton in May of 1910, and the Wrights took on more students, including Ralph Johnstone, and Frank T. Coffyn. Coffyn was the old man of the bunch, already 31 years old. |
