"Take off performance was still a bit of a sticking point though. In 1904 the Wrights started using a crude catapult ... . It was an optional feature, as Wilbur Wright showed during a 1908 demonstration. During an attempt to set an FAI time to altitude record, the officials disqualified him on account of his "assisted takeoff". Wilbur promptly redid the attempt without the catapult and promptly set a new record."
I am not aware about Wilbur Wright taking off without the help of a catapult in France, in 1908. A primary sources (preferably something published in 1908-1909) confirming W. Wright made flights in 1908 without being assisted by a falling weight at start is required. Provide it please.
"Description
This is probably Wilbur Wright's altitude record setting flight of December 18, 1908. During this flight Wilbur broke his own endurance record and also set a world altitude record of 115 meters. The flight took place at Camp d'Auvours near Le Mans, France. The flight won the Aero Club de la Sarthe prize for altitude. Also visible is the launching derrick and two marker balloons measuring altitude of 100 meters."
Source:
http://timestraveler.blogs.nytimes.c...ype=blogs&_r=0
I have also found an article (see below) about an altitude record set by W. Wright in Dec. 1908 but the fact he took off without the help of a catapult is not mentioned.
Saturday, Dec. 19, 1908
Flying yesterday in Le Mans, France, Wilbur Wright set new aeroplane records for time and altitude, as he flew for 1 hour 53 minutes and 59 seconds in the morning and, in a later flight, reached an altitude of 360 feet. The previous records, both his, were 1 hour 31 minutes and 51 seconds, and 240 feet. “Mr. Wright attained an average height of 24 feet this morning, and the distance was officially measured as 61½ miles, which does not include the wide sweeps and turns made during the flight. He descended only because the oil feeder got out of order. … Mr. Wright made his record for height and won the Sarthe Club’s prize in the afternoon when the atmospheric conditions were less favorable. At first it was thought that the violence of the breeze would compel him to postpone his effort, but, undaunted, he launched his machine and circled around and around the field. When soaring at ninety feet a sudden gust of wind caught the aeroplane sideways, causing it to plunge violently backward. The spectators were terrified, but Mr. Wright remained unperturbed and soon righted the craft. At the end of ten minutes the wind had moderated and the aeroplane soared upward and passed high over a line of captive balloons, marking a distance of 300 feet.”
Source:
http://timestraveler.blogs.nytimes.c...ype=blogs&_r=0