19. Several test sites had already been considered in the South
Following the Xenia crash and the publicity which had been attendant with it, the Army searched for more remote test locations. The end of the war meant the end of urgency in developing the Bug, and concerns over security became less pressing. Colonel Bion Arnold left the program and the Army. The Bugs sat in Dayton, with little to nothing being done on them, even after the test flights and failures at Amityville. A small Army contingent remained involved in the program, and Midgley offered it his continued support, but Kettering soon had him involved in other projects at Delco. Orville Wright’s involvement with the program was over. Elmer Sperry concentrated his efforts on Navy projects.
The Army decided to disassemble and create a dozen or so Bugs, along with spare parts and other components, ship them to Carlstrom Field in Florida, and continue testing the concept there. Carlstrom was remote, located in terrain which was mostly level. Construction of the launch rail system there promised to be simple. There were also sufficient aircraft there for the Bug to be pursued in flight, if necessary. In late summer of 1919, members of the team, including Midgley, and Army personnel assigned to the project relocated to Carlstrom Field. One of the Army pilots who would observe some tests was a flight instructor by the name of Jimmy Doolittle.