The first rubber powered model airplane was Penaud's Planophore which flew 131 feet in 11 seconds, 1871, Tuileries garden, Paris. In the early days, the competition was for distance flown, note the measuring tape in the video. Models were advertised as flying 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1 mile and eventually it became impractical to measure the distances. Duration became the criteria. Models were then flown in circles, staying close to the launch site. Note that the rubber motors are being finger wound. The Bing Autoplan seen at the end of this video was driven by a compressed air engine, note the size of the fuselage, which was the air tank. The AMA Museum has a measuring wheel and a Bing Autoplan in their collection.
