In the latter part of 1908, the Wrights seem to take possession of the record—Orville in America, and Wilbur in Europe—surpassing their own previous feats as well as those of others. Bleriot and Farman also steadily advance their performances to a more distinguished level.
The record for 1909 starts off with three new names—Moore-Brabazon, and Legagneux in France, and Cody in England. Richardson, Count de Lambert, Calderara, Latham, Tissandier, Rougier, join the ranks of the aviators before the year is half gone, and a few days later Sommer and Paulhan add their names.
Of these only Latham flies the monoplane type of machine, but at the Rheims tournament Delagrange appears as a monoplanist, increasing the little group to four; but, with Le Blon added later, they perform some of the most remarkable feats on record.
The contest at Rheims in August is a succession of record-breaking and record-making achievements. But it is at Blackpool and Doncaster that the most distinct progress of the year is marked, by the daring flights of Le Blon and Latham in fierce gales. Spectators openly charged these men with foolhardiness, but it was of the first importance that it should be demonstrated that these delicately built machines can be handled safely in the most turbulent weather; and the fact that it has been done successfully will inspire every other aviator with a greater degree of confidence in his ability to control his machine in whatever untoward circumstances he may be placed. And such confidence is by far the largest element in safe and successful flying.
NOTABLE AVIATION RECORDS TO CLOSE OF 1910
December 17, 1903—Wilbur Wright with biplane, at Kitty Hawk, N. C., makes the first successful flight by man with power-propelled machine, a distance of 852 feet, in 59 seconds.
November 9, 1904—Wilbur Wright with biplane, at Dayton, O., flies 3 miles in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. (He and Orville made upward of 100 unrecorded flights in that year.)
September 26, 1905—Wilbur Wright with biplane “White Flier,” at Dayton, O., flies 11 miles in 18 minutes and 9 seconds.
September 29, 1905—Orville Wright, with “White Flier,” at Dayton, O., flies 12 miles in 19 minutes and 55 seconds.
October 3, 1905—Wilbur Wright, with “White Flier” at Dayton, O., flies 15 miles in 25 minutes and 5 seconds.
October 4, 1905—Orville Wright with biplane “White Flier,” at Dayton, O., flies 21 miles in 33 minutes and 17 seconds.
October 5, 1905—Wilbur Wright with “White Flier,” at Dayton, O., flies 24 miles in 38 minutes. (He made many unrecorded flights in that year.)
August 22, 1906—A. Santos-Dumont with biplane at Bagatelle, France, made his first public flight with an aeroplane, hardly more than rising clear of the ground.
September 14, 1906—Santos-Dumont with biplane, at Bagatelle, flies for 8 seconds.
Santos-Dumont flying at Bagatelle in his cellular biplane.
October 24, 1906—Santos-Dumont with biplane, at Bagatelle, flies 160 feet in 4 seconds.
November 13, 1906—Santos-Dumont with biplane, at Bagatelle, flies 722 feet in 21 seconds. This feat is recorded as the first aeroplane flight made in Europe.
March 16, 1907—Leon Delagrange with first Voisin biplane, at Bagatelle, flies 30 feet.
August 6, 1907—Louis Bleriot with a Langley machine, at Issy, France, flies 470 feet.
October 15, 1907—Henry Farman with biplane, at Issy, flies 937 feet in 21 seconds.
October 19, 1907—R. Esnault-Pelterie with monoplane, at Buc, France, makes short flights.
October 26, 1907—Farman with biplane, at Issy, flies 2,529 feet in a half circle, in 52 seconds.
November 17, 1907—Santos-Dumont with biplane, at Issy, makes several short flights, the longest being about 500 feet.
November 21, 1907—Santos-Dumont with monoplane at Bagatelle, makes several short flights, the longest being about 400 feet.
January 13, 1908—Farman with biplane, at Issy, makes the first flight in a circular course—3,279 feet in 1 minute and 28 seconds.
March 12, 1908—F. W. Baldwin with biplane “Red Wing,” at Hammondsport, N. Y., flies 319 feet.
March 21, 1908—Farman with biplane, at Issy, flies 1.24 miles in 3 minutes and 31 seconds.
March 29, 1908—Delagrange with biplane, at Ghent, Belgium, makes first recorded flight with one passenger (Farman), 453 feet.
April 11, 1908—Delagrange with biplane at Issy, flies 2.43 miles in 6 minutes and 30 seconds, winning the Archdeacon cup.
May 18, 1908—J. A. D. McCurdy with biplane “White Wing” at Hammondsport, flies 600 feet.
May 27, 1908—Delagrange with biplane, at Rome, in the presence of the King of Italy, flies 7.9 miles in 15 minutes and 25 seconds.
