The pasture belonged to Torrence Huffman, president of Dayton’s Fourth National Bank, whom the Wrights knew. When they inquired if they might rent it for their use, he said there would be no charge, so long as they moved the cows and horses outside the fence before flying their machine. While he liked the brothers well enough, Huffman was among the many who had little faith in their project. “They’re fools,” he told the farmer who worked the adjoining land.
