When you think about it, Wilbur and Orville's Wright Flyer would have to be considered the first 'commercial' aircraft converted for use by the military armed forces. From that first small step on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 to the first Wright 'B' Flyer delivered to the U.S. Army in 1908, a new method of military procurement for aircraft was born - the acquisition of an "off the shelf" commercial design adapted for military use. In this case, a pair of wheels was added to the craft's landing skids allowing operations from grass fields, and a new world distance record was soon set when the machine was flown from Laredo to Eagle Pass, Texas covering 106 miles at a blistering speed (for its day) of 43 mph.
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