eached the end of the track and had risen to a height of about two
feet. The slow forward speed of the machine over the ground is clearly
shown in the picture by Wilbur's attitude. He stayed along beside the
machine without any effort.

The course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic, partly due
to the irregularity of the air, and partly to lack of experience in
handling this machine. The control of the front rudder was difficult on
account of its being balanced too near the center. This gave it a
tendency to turn itself when started; so that it turned too far on one
side and then too far on the other. As a result the machine would rise
suddenly to about ten feet, and then as suddenly dart for the ground. A
sudden dart when a little over a hundred feet from the end of the track,
or a little over 120 feet from the point at which it rose into the air,
ended the flight. As the velocity of the wind was over 35 feet per
second and the speed of the machine against this wind ten feet per
second, the speed of the machine relative to the air was over 45 feet
per second, and the length of the flight was equivalent to a flight of
540 feet made in calm air. This flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it
was nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a
machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air
in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had
finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started.

* * * * *

At twenty minutes after eleven Wilbur started on the second flight. The
course of this flight was much like that of the first, very much up and
down. The speed over the ground was somewhat faster than that of the
first flight, due to the lesser wind. The duration of the flight was
less than a second longer than the first, but the distance covered was
about seventy-five feet greater.

Twenty minutes later the third flight started. This one was steadier
than the first one an hour before. I was proceeding along pretty well
when a sudden gust from the right lifted the machine up twelve to
fifteen feet and turned it up sidewise in an alarming manner. It began
sliding off to the left. I warped the wings to try to recover the
lateral balance and at the same time pointed the machine down to reach
the ground as quickly as possible. The lateral control was more
effective than I had imagined and before I reached the groun