Flip to Girls sledding on a Flexible Flyer, Westtown Boarding School, Westtown, PA, circa 1910.
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Credit: Esther Duke Archives, Westtown School, Westtown, PA.
Before patenting the Flexible Flyer, Samuel Allen had Westtown students try out a number of other, unsuccessful sled designs, including the Aeriel, a large sled with front and rear "bobs," both of which steered. The Aeriel, however, handled very poorly on icy snow.