WRIGHT BROTHERS
Aeroplane Company
In
France, the news of Orville's accident hit Wilbur like a ton of bricks.
For a short time, it seemed to paralyze him. He canceled all flights for a
week and pedaled his bicycle to Le Mans where he could be closer to a
telegraph as he waited for further details of Orville's accident.
Only when he was told that Orville was out of danger did Wilbur begin to fly again. And he flew higher, farther, and faster than he ever had before. It was up to him now to prove to the World that the Wrights were not "bleuffers," that they had indeed discovered the secret of flight. No more namby-pamby two-minute flights. Wilbur began to push himself and his airplane, shattering records and collecting prizes.
There were also testimonial dinners, gold medals, and commendations. When Wilbur happened to visit the French Senate on a sight-seeing jaunt, the Senators stopped their deliberations and gave him a standing ovation. As 1908 drew to a close, Wilbur planned to capture the Coupe de Michelin, an impressive trophy and a 20,000 franc award for the longest flight of the year. Actually, Wilbur had already won the trophy he had set an endurance record several times over. But he wanted to secure it with one last, best flight. On December 31, 1908 he flew through a freezing mist for as long as he could stand it 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds. |
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