 In a 1951 interview, engineer Harold Hicks said that the fire and a fresh start were the best thing that happened to Ford's aviation venture.The 3-AT was impractical with its uncowled engines mounted in the wing roots, disturbing the airflow over the wing, giving it an 80-mph takeoff and landing speed.Tom Towle was placed in charge of engineering, and hired MIT graduate Otto C. Koppen, John Lee, and James Smith McDonnell (co-founder of McDonnell Douglas).