Dayton, July 6, 1901
Yours July 4th rec'd. Also the altimeter. We are of course delighted with so beautiful a little instrument and our pleasure in it is very much increased by the fact that it is to us a token of your friendly interest in us and our experiments. We find it very convenient and quite accurate.
I return herewith the letter of Mr. Rodman. He seems to be a young man of intelligence, and his athletic ability will be of advantage in experimental work. It is a hopeful sign when young men take up the problem, provided they do not allow it to interfere too seriously with their regular business. It has occurred to me that possibly he could obtain a quicker test of lifting capacity and control by building a board path down a steep hill and allowing his tricycle to coast on the path till it had sufficient speed to rise. A better motor than gravity cannot be found for preliminary experiments as it is cheap and efficient.