The History: The new propeller shafts were installed onto the Flyer. The machine was taken out of the campsite building to attempt a trial flight. The weather was warm, but the winds were too light to attempt a flight from flat ground. It was getting late and there was no time to bring the machine to the Big Hill to try a downhill launch.

Big Hill After A Trial Run Of The Flight Note The Launch Rail (Track) With Permission From Special Collections Wright State University Libraries

The brothers decided to time how fast the Flyer could carry a man down the wooden launch track. They started and ran the engine and timed the speed with a man onboard the Flyer. They clocked that the machine traveled 15 feet in 1.5 seconds.

Frames supporting the Flyer's tail caught on the track and broke.

If there are 5280 feet in a mile and 3600 seconds in an hour, what was the speed the of Flyer in miles/hour?