12. The Kettering Bug was tested in September, 1918
The Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, in North Carolina, but it was at Huffman Prairie, east of Dayton, Ohio, where they learned to fly. There the brothers learned to control their aircraft, take off and land, and the rudiments of extended flight. The flights conducted near Dayton were launched using a rail and counterweight system to accelerate the Wright Flyer into the air. Orville Wright developed a similar system for launching the Kettering Bug. In the fall of 1918, the launch rail was assembled at McCook Field, just south of Dayton, on the banks of the Great Miami River. The Kettering Bug was ready for its first flight.
After postponements due to contrary weather, the Bug was launched into the air on Saturday, September 14, 1918. It crashed after a flight of about 300 feet. Engine problems were determined to be the culprit. In early October another test resulted in a flight of less than fifteen seconds, with the Bug circling after launch and diving upon the launchers. Modifications were made to the control system, and about two dozen Bugs were ordered by the Army, for the purpose of testing and evaluation. DePalma (which was still manufacturing the engines) produced an engine capable of higher revolutions per minute, and it was installed in future prototypes of the aircraft. Meanwhile, World War One dragged on in Europe.