H. W. Manning had little experience with airplane design, but using the financial resources of his gas mantle business, Manning and his sons built an airplane they called "Comet I". Son Jack made unimpressive test flights, but he convinced his father to build a larger plane, dubbed "Comet II". They unsuccessfully displayed the machine in Baker City, Oregon on July 4-5, 1910. During the summer the Mannings attempted flights near Astoria, Oregon, and they also built a "Comet III" before giving up as constructors.