Thanks a lot, Brian!
Well, you know, far from Channel Wing and Asymmetric Aircraft revolutions, pilots of that time (and their generals, and their taxpayers) wanted very classical aircraft... And even the rather-classical L-38 and L-38B twin-engined ones were disliked, because... if one engine fails, there is a tremendous asymmetry to fight against... Loughead engineers of course found the solution: bringing the engines close to one another, removing the pilot's pod, and as it was refused laterally (because of asymmetric piloting), it was raised above on the upper wing.
"Safe in the sky" was the selling-word, alas the test pilot fell from the giant ladder (to climb into the cockpit up there) and broke his leg. Thus the prototype was scrapped, in November 1918.