 On October 14, he reputedly became the first U.S. pilot to fly faster than 200 mph (320 kmh) and received a letter of congratulations from Orville Wright.Flying a Curtiss R-6 racer over a 50-kilometer (31 miles) course, Maitland finished second in the Pulitzer Trophy race, behind Army test pilot Lt. Russell Maughan but ahead of four Navy and eight Army racers, averaging 198.8 mph (319 kmh) and reporting brief blackouts during the tight pylon turns.On March 29, 1923, he set a world's absolute speed record of 236.58 mph (380.75 kmh) over one kilometer in the R-6, but the record was disqualified because he failed to maintain level flight.