I've also heard that the Wright brothers attempted to fly again in
Ohio in the spring or summer of 1904 and couldn't get off the ground.
Again the difference in elevation and temperature would be enough
to explain that.

Well, they did get off the ground--I think forty-odd minutes that
summer The problem seemed to be that there was no wind on Huffman
Prairie outside Dayton, as compared to 27 mph at Kitty Hawk on
December 17.

The 1903 Flyer was wrecked. The 1904 was slightly different. Some
historians regard the 1905 Flyer as the first real airplane. It could
take off with insignificant headwind.

What made the Wrights remarkable was that they understood the
principles of flight, including the desirability of a headwind. One of
their competitors crashed when he took off downwind, on the theory
that the wind would blow him into the air.


all the best -- Dan Ford
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