ailerons mounted above the leading edge of the lower wing. The forward-mounted elevator was mounted on three sets of bamboo booms attached to sockets on the leading edge of the wings, the lower members sloping steeply upwards so that the surfaces were just below the level of the upper wing. These could be operated in conjunction to act as elevators as well as assisting in the lateral control of the aircraft. A single rectangular rudder was mounted between two booms, the upper attached to the centre of the rear spar and the lower to the rear of the fuselage. A large canvas triangle was stretched between the trailing edge of the upper wing and the end of the upper tail boom. A small fixed vertical surface was also mounted above the upper wing. The engine drove a pair of tractor propellers using a belt drive. Twin radiators were vertically mounted in a V configuration. The original intention had been to use a 50 hp Panhard-Levassor engine, but this proved unreliable when bench tested. Lacking funding for a new engine, Cody had to wait until the 50 hp (37 kW) Antoinette engine which had been fitted to the Nulli Secundus became available. This happened in August 1908, when Cody transferred the engine to his aircraft. Operational history First flight and Army career Cody's friend, assistant and biographer G. A. Broomfield would later claim that the first flight took place in May 1908. A. V. Roe was at that time claimed to have flown in June 1908 and Broomfield wanted to give primacy to Cody. Both claims were later disallowed, with Broomfield's claim for Cody being exposed as an outright hoax. Cody carried out taxiing trials of the aircraft during September, briefly leaving the ground on the last of these. The aircraft was then returned to the workshop for the first of a long series of modifications to be made. The small ailerons were removed, a nosewheel added, the radiators moved outboard from their central position to the forward interplane struts, and modifications were made to the booms supporting the elevator. In this form, with a Union Jack flying from the strut between the upper and lower tail booms, the aircraft was presented to the press at Farnborough on 13 October. After further ground trials Cody finally judged conditions suitable for a flight trial on 16 October, and made the first recognised