9 established by the Army for the purchase of an airplane. Tragedy struck on September 17, when Orville crashed at Fort Myer while flying with Selfridge, who became the first person to die in a powered airplane crash. Orville recovered, but lived with the pain resulting from the accident for the rest of his life. The momentous year was far from over. On October 16, the American Samuel Franklin Cowdery (aka S.F. Cody) made the first flight in Great Britain. Once Orville Wright was back on his feet, he and his sister Katharine joined their brother in Europe. The three Wrights were now the toast of the continent. Crowned heads, political leaders, captains of industry and ordinary folk traveled to witness the miracle of flight. Wilbur capped this extraordinary year with a flight of more than 76 miles in 2 hours 18 minutes 33 ths seconds on December 31, which earned him the Michelin Cup and a 20,000-franc cash prize for the best flight of 1908. By year’s end, no skeptic doubted that the age of flight had arrived, and that the Wrights were leading the way. 0 What did the Wrights manage to do between 1903 and 1905? develop a practical plane 1 Towards the end of 1905, what did the Wrights suspect might happen if they continued flying? 2 Why did the Wrights feel prepared to fly in 1908? 3 What made it possible for Furnas to fly with Wilbur in the 1908 plane? 4 Why was the event near Le Mans so special? 5 In what way were the Wrights’ planes superior to other planes? (Give one answer.) 6 What was the important thing about Orville’s flights as far as one particular institution was concerned? 7 Why did people of all kinds come together in the autumn of 1908? 8 What was the outcome of Wilbur’s achievement at the end of 1908? (Give one answer.) Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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