During the time they were talking to airline CEOs, in 1956 the company hired the former head of American Airlines' maintenance department, John Montgomery, to run the production lines. Montgomery gathered comments from the industry on the state of the engine market, and found that many were complaining about the unreliability of the large piston engines then being used, notably the Wright R-3350. Wright management refused to put more money into the program to improve the engine, leading to a serious backlash from the customers.