1910, Walsh began developing an aviation camp there while testing his new airplane. The plane was a nearly exact copy of the Reims Racer in which he had flown as a passenger with Charles K. Hamilton. Walsh added features of his own design that he hoped would simplify controllability, however. Instead of a shoulder yoke for lateral control, Walsh mounted the steering wheel to a post on a double hinge, allowing for dual-axis control to operate the ailerons in addition to the elevators via a wire connection to the ailerons from the base of the control yoke. The engine-shutoff and starting wheel brake were controlled by a single lever fastened directly over the left side of the foot rest. The same motion of the foot-operated both devices. The engine speed lever was still connected to the frame next to the pilot. A day or two later, Walsh added a thrust bearing to his engine, yielding an additional 25% increase in speed. On April 10, 1910, approximately 100 onlookers witnessed his first flight. Reaching an altitude of 15–20 feet, he flew for approximately 400 feet over the Imperial Beach runway before executing a reportedly flawless landing. By late May, he had already turned down offers to perform during the Fourth of July celebration of Baker City, Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The personal expense to him for such long distance trips made him concentrate on opportunities closer to San Diego. He also made significant improvements to his airplane by this time, adding steel-rimmed wheels for his landing gear and installing a more advanced propeller. To compensate for the aft center of gravity resulting from the increased weight of his engine relative to the one that powered the Reims Racer that he faithfully modeled his airplane after, he modified his tail to a box design, vice the single elevator. On June 2, Walsh suffered a major setback when his airplane crashed following a steep turn during a practice run on the aviation course. It was quickly determined that his engine could not provide sufficient thrust to maintain altitude at steep angles of bank. While this accident almost convinced Walsh to abandon aviation altogether, fellow Imperial Beach aviator B F Roehrig began an effort to raise money for a better engine. He had made over 40 flights at this point. Most were straight and level below 50 ft covering distances of