Alfred V. Verville was sent by the U.S. Army to Paris in 1918 to study fighter -plane design. He returned and designed a new pursuit plane, the VCP. Three years later, he was sent back to Europe with Brig. Gen. William Mitchell for another survey. In 1922 Mitchell gave Verville an order: "Build tomorrow's plane today." With Lawrence Sperry, Verville built the Verville-Sperry R-3, with streamlining and retractable landing wheels to increase efficiency and speed. After Sperry's death, Verville established his own aircraft company and then spent his final 20 years at the National Bureau of Aeronautics.