Sentence:  As a matter of fact , Fogg and his plane did n't get beyond Pennsylvania in the race - an engine oil leak forced him down - but the flying service and school he started subsequently <WSD>were</WSD> first steps in paying off his wry-faced backers . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)