7. Kettering rejected the idea of a remotely controlled airplane
Kettering’s vision for the aircraft was an expendable bomb, to be used once, rather than a device for delivering a bomb and returning to from whence it came. In his opinion, landing such an aircraft with existing technology was impossible, and there were time constraints to consider. He proposed the aircraft carry fuel and explosives, and little else. Since it wasn’t going to land at the end of its mission it would have no undercarriage. It could be launched from reusable sleds. His team agreed with the proposals, as did the Army when he relayed his concerns to Squier. Squier used Kettering’s recommendations when he wrote the contract specifications.
Cost was another concern. Kettering recognized each unit produced would be used but once, and accordingly they should be as cheap as possible. Essentially, they were engineering a giant artillery shell, and the costs of the deliverable were to be in line with those. The airframe itself was built of wood and fabric, but the guidance components were costly. Kettering also feared the costs of the engines for his aerial weapons would be prohibitive. To ensure they weren’t, yet another American industrialist needed to be brought aboard the program, one able to mass-produce the engines reliably and affordably. Charles Kettering knew who that person should be, and contacted him. His name was Henry Ford.