<p>There were 41 bidders, and 22 were considered to be worth detailed investigation. Prices varied from a low of $500 to a high of $10,000,000. The choice finally narrowed to three who met all the terms of the specification: J. F. Scott, who asked for $1,000 and 185 days; A. M. Herring, who wanted $20,000 and 180 days; and the Wrights, who asked for $25,000 and 200 days.
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<p>All three looked promising, but there was only enough money for the two lowest bids. The Army desperately wanted to get the Wright airplane as well, and found a special fund, available only to the President, for purchases or services. There was money left in the fund from an appropriation made for the Spanish-American War some 10 years earlier, and—with Roosevelt's approval—that fund was to be tapped for the purchase of the Wright machine.
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<p>Neither Scott nor Herring completed his contract. Scott withdrew his bid, and Herring, after being granted two extensions of time, finally failed to produce.
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<p>The Wright 'Flyer' reached Ft Myer on 20 August 1908, within the time specified by contract, and was readied for flight trials. By early September, the plane had set a new world endurance record and had carried its first military observer, Lieutenant Lahm. On 17 September, Orville was flying the aircraft with Lieutenant Selfridge as passenger. On the fourth circuit of the field at Ft Myer, one propeller deflected enough to slice a bracing wire attached to the rudder frame. The severed wire and the splintered propeller threw the airplane out of control; it crashed to the ground, fatally injuring Selfridge and injuring Wright. The trials were postponed by the War Department until the summer of 1909.
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<p>Orville had done all the flying in the 1908 trials, and he continued as the only pilot when the tests were resumed the following year. Wilbur was there, with encouragement and his special knowledge.
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<p>The first endurance test flight was scheduled for the evening of 27 July 1909. Orville was pilot as usual, and Lieutenant Lahm the passenger. It was Orville's first passenger-carrying flight since the fatal accident. The plane stayed in the air for one hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds, establishing a new endurance record and easily passing the military requirement.
