
This machine was tested in October 1904, pulled by an automobile, but when the car reached a moderate speed the plane lifted, but a gust of wind tipped a wing so that the wheels on the opposite side were crushed. As a substitute, ordinary boards like skis were used, but then the car stalled without getting the plane off the ground, so horses had to be used. A team of draft horses pulled the rope and caused the plane to soar as high as the tree tops. Its builder Albert Rupel of Indianapolis, Indiana died of lockjaw less than a year later after stepping on a nail, before he could test it with a proper engine.