The #44 debuted in 1931, as Jimmie Wedell improved the design of the We-Will plane. In a new partnership with racer Roscoe Turner, Wedell aimed to create the fastest plane in the world. The #44's new design included an enclosed cockpit and a Pratt and Whitney Wasp Jr. engine. In designing the plane's wings, Jimmie Wedell first used stress tests that later became standard specifications for commercial aircraft.