I think the big thing this experiment showed was how important wind tunnel testing was. It also reinforced that the big problem wasn't getting a vehicle in the

I think the big thing this experiment showed was how important wind tunnel testing was. It also reinforced that the big problem wasn't getting a vehicle in the air, it was controlling it once you did so. This seems obvious now, but back in the 19th century the control schemes were often inadequate or poorly tested so flights usually ended in crashes that destroyed the vehicle. Yet another lesson from the wind tunnel testing. Even in this article they spend a lot of time trying to work out how to trim the glider. Once you add a gasoline engine to a glider trying to control it by swinging your legs around is just not adequate.