The Ford team found it would need 5 miles of wire, cut into almost 3,000 pieces ranging in length from 8 inches to 32 feet, for a B-24. The plane's components were 85% aluminum alloy and 13% steel.

The B-24 featured a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Used on several bomber models during World War II, the Davis wing offered a lower drag coefficient than other contemporary ...