 Wright Model B over an exhibition crowd | The team made its first public appearance June 13, 1910 at the IndianapolisMotor Speedway. Both Wright brothers were with the team. The exhibitionmarked the occasion of Coffyn's solo flight -- he had not yet completed histraining. In front of 10,000 spectators, he went aloft for the first timealone, only to have a spider hiding inside his goggles bite him in the eyeand force an early landing. The team stayed on the road for the rest of the year, flying in exhibitionsby themselves, and in competitions with other teams at Harvard, Belmont,Saint Louis, and others. As they gained experience and confidence in theair, some of the team began to stray from the Wrights' rules of safe,cautious flight. Brookins, Hoxsey, and Johnstone were particularly daring,climbing after altitude records, performing crowd-thrilling dives, andchallenging the limits of their machines with every flight. The rewards forthe risks were plentiful: acclaim in the press, adoration by the crowds.Accidents began to happen almost immediately. |
