Harry Benjamin Combs (27 January 1913 – 23 December 2003), America

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

pioneer, airplane manufacturer, and author. He was founder of Combs Aviation and president of Gates Learjet Corporation.Goyer, Robert (December 1996). "National aviation hall of fame inducts four." ''Flying, vol.123'', issue 12, p. 46. Retrieved from Proquest, May 27, 2022. He was a pioneering soaring pilot who "lived and breathed the Golden and Jet Ages of aviation." He was inducted into the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with it ...

in 1996.

Early life

Combs was from Denver, Colorado. His father was Albert Henry Combs, a pilot with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in Canada. Combs saw his first airplane in 1917 at the age of four when he traveled with his grandmother from Denver to a Royal Flying Corps training field in

Deseronto Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located at the mouth of the Napanee River on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, on the northern side of Lake Ontario. The town was named for Captain John Deseronto, a n ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

where his father was training. Combs' father was shot down twice while in aviation combat in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and was said to have warned his son never to set foot in an airplane. From 1920 to 1926, Combs attended

Fessenden School The Fessenden School is an independent day (Pre-K – Grade 9) and boarding school (Grades 5 – 9) for boys, founded in 1903 by Frederick J. Fessenden as a school for the intellectually gifted, and located at 250 Waltham Street, West Newton, M ...

, a preparatory boarding school in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. While at school, he read ''Diary of an Unknown Aviator'', World War I chronicle by

Elliot White Springs Elliott White Springs (July 31, 1896 – October 15, 1959), was a South Carolina businessman and an American flying ace of World War I, credited with shooting down 16 enemy aircraft. Early life Springs was born to Col. Leroy Springs and Grac ...

. Combs was inspired by Springs and wanted to fly an airplane, despite his father's warning. While on summer vacation in Denver in 1926, Combs and a friend paid $4 for a ride in a

mail plane A mail plane is an aircraft used for carrying mail. Aircraft that were purely mail planes existed almost exclusively prior to World War II. Because early aircraft were too underpowered to carry cargoes, and too costly to run any "economy class" ...

. In 1927, Combs enrolled in the

Taft School The Taft School is a private, coeducational school located in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. It teaches students in 9th through 12th grades and post-graduates. About three-quarters of Taft's roughly 600 students live on the school's ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

for five years. That was the same year,

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

made his historic crossing of the Atlantic. When Combs saw a magazine advertisement for $99 flying lessons taught by Lindbergh's old company, he made his way to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

for three hours of flight instruction. In 1929, after thirty hours of flying, the sixteen–year–old Combs designed and built a sport biplane named ''Vamp Bat''. However, the ''Vamp Bat'' was short-lived, and crashed after a flight in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...

. Combs said, “You didn't have any means of controlling it when the wind was blowing. There were no brakes—just a tailskid. If you sped up, it got away from you and you turned upside down. I was hanging upside down inches from the ground. It busted up. I should have known that when you don't have brakes you have to stay on the grass.” Starting in 1931, he attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, ...

, graduating in 1935 with a degree in applied economics. While at Yale, he lettered in track and football and was a member and president of

St. Anthony Hall St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the Calendar of saints, feast day of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony the Great. The frater ...

. He was also chairman of Cannon & Castle Military Society and a member of the

Torch Honor Society The Torch Honor Society was founded on March 8, 1916 in order to recognize merit and achievement on the part of undergraduate students of Yale College. Each Spring, the society elected ten juniors on the basis of outstanding achievement in Univers ...

. He then attended reserve officer’s training, where he was commissioned as a

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

second lieutenant in the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. However, he did not go on to cadet training because he had fallen in love—and cadets were not allowed to get married.

Career

Aviation

In 1935, Combs worked as a ticket agent for

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

but quit after two years because he wanted to fly. Then, he ran a small flying service in

Armonk, New York Armonk is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of North Castle, located in Westchester County, New York, United States. The corporate headquarters of IBM are located in Armonk. Geography and climate As of the 2010 census, Ar ...

. Next, he worked in investment banking with Bosworth, Chanute, Loughridge & Co. in Denver. Wanting to return to airplanes, he was enlisted as a second lieutenant pilot officer in the

Colorado National Guard The Colorado National Guard consists of the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard, forming the state of Colorado's component to the United States National Guard. Founded in 1860, the Colorado National Guard falls under t ...

120th Observation Squadron, logging enough flying time to earn an instructor's rating. Now able to teach, he was hired by the Ray Wilson Flight School in Denver as an instructor. In 1938, he co-founded Mountain States Aviation in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, a flying school and airplane sales company. In 1939, he started Combs Aircraft Corp. to design and build an experimental aircraft known as the ''Combscraft''; however, the airplane could not pass a spin test and the project was abandoned. During World War II, Mountain States Aviation trained more than 9,000 pilots on bombers, fighter planes, freight planes, and gliders with 45 planes, 45 flight instructors, and 160 employees. In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces and flew

C-54 The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

transport planes across the North Atlantic, Africa, and India. After a year, he was honorably discharged to return to his company. Combs was the state director of Civil Defense for Air from 1951 to 1954. He was also associated with

Lockheed Aircraft Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Ma ...

's Skunk Works, working on the U-2, the

F-104 The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fi ...

, and the

SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...

projects. In 1958, Combs Aircraft operated from

Stapleton Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado, from 1929 to 1995. It was a hub for Continental Airlines, the original Frontier Airlines, People Express, United Ai ...

and grew into of the largest network of aircraft sales and service centers in the United States, and the leading

Beechcraft Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...

distributor in the United States. In 1962, he sold Mountain State Aviation. By 1964, he was the largest Beechcraft distributor in the world. Combs developed and implemented business practices that are now industry standards. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

appointed Combs to

Project Beacon Beacon was one of America's first satellite programs. A balloon satellite, its objective was to study atmospheric density at its orbital altitude and to be the first United States satellite visible to the naked eye. Booster problems caused bo ...

which was tasked with modernizing air traffic control systems in the United States. Combs developed a plan to separate air traffic based on aircraft performance . Many of Combs' suggestions are still used today by the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

. He was also a consultant to

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

during the early days of the manned space program and helped create an air-training base in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

for

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

Covert Operations. Comb Aircraft was sold to

Gates Rubber Company Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadd ...

for $1.5 million in December 1966. Renamed Combs Gates Denver Inc., it became a subsidiary of Gates Aviation Corp. Combs decided to retire. In December 1969, stockholders elected Combs to serve as president of the board of directors of Gates Learjet, a new merger of Gates Rubber and Lear Jet Industries. In October 1970, he moved to Wichita, Kansas to oversee Gates Learjet, which manufactured corporate airplanes. His salary was around $50,000 a year, but the company was failing with a $13 million deficit. Combs said, “When I first got down there, I said to the sales manager, ‘What are our hot prospects?' He had about three. We had about 800 employees and half-built bodies of airplanes laying around. There were no sales. I was told it was because the market was bad. I said, ‘No, it's the way we’re running things!’” Under Combs’ leadership, Gates Learjet made a remarkable financial turnaround, with some $15 million in the bank and no debt by June 1972. It became the largest manufactures of business aircraft in the world. In 1975, he relocated the business from Wichita to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The Learjet was the first United States civil aircraft to be

-approved for a normal cruise at 51,000 feet. It was also the first plane to incorporate

's thrust-enhancing "

winglet Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...

" technology. He retired in 1982 when the company had $240 million in equity. Combs was also the founder of the national chain of corporate airplane service centers, AMR Combs.

Writing

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

gave Combs a copy of the Wright brothers notebooks. Combs was amazed by what he read, and even went to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

to try and put together a television show about the brothers. When that did not pan out, he decided to write a book. In 1979, Combs', ''Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers,'' was published''.'' It received the James J. Streiberg Award from the Aviation/Space Writer’s Foundation and the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

. He also wrote a trilogy of western novels, starting with ''Brules'' in 1992. ''Brules'' won a Big Horse Award from Conquistadores del Cielo.

Professional affiliations

Combs served on the board of the

National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...

and the

Aerospace Industries Association The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, material, and related c ...

. He was also a president of the

Wings Club The Wings Club, also known as the Wings Club of New York, is a social and professional club formed for aviators, based in New York City. Founded in 1942 by a group of American aviation pioneers, it is known for its monthly lunches, annual dinners a ...

. He was chairman of the Colorado State Game and Fish Commission and served on the Colorado Aeronautics Commission and the Colorado State Air and Water Pollution Board.

Publications

Nonfiction

* ''Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers,'' with Martin Caiden. Houghton-Mifflin, 1979. . * ''At the Battle of Little Big Horn Where Was Custer?'' Ternstyle Press, 1999

Fiction

* ''Brules''. Island Books, 1995. * ''The Scout.'' Dell, 1996. * ''Legend of the Painted Horse.'' Dell, 1997.

Articles and presentations

* "The Air Age Was Now" with Martin Caiden. ''American Heritage'' vol. 31:1 (December 1979). * "Four Flights at Kill Devil," Dayton Daily News, (January 27, 1980): 89. * ''Twelve Seconds that Changed the World: The Amazing Story of the Wright Brothers.'' Washington, D.C.: American Society for Aerospace Education, 1982

Video

* ''How Strong Is The Wind ''—40 minutes. TernStyle Press, Ltd, 1983. 303-790-8250

Awards

* 1998: Exceptional Achievement Award,

Soaring Society of America The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 1932. ...

* 1997: World Distance Award, Soaring Society of America for completing 40,000 Km WDA * 1994: Exceptional Achievement Award, Soaring Society of America * 1993: Big Horse Award, Conquistadores del Cielo, for ''Brules'' * 1985:

Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy was established by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) in 1948 after a trust fund was created in 1936 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot of Boston, a former president of the NAA. It is awarded to a living American ...

* 1985: Exceptional Achievement Award, Soaring Society of America * 1984: Elder Statesman of Aviation Award, National Aeronautic Association * 1981: Distinguished Achievement Award,

* 1980: James J. Streiberg Award, Aviation/Space Writer’s Foundation,

, for ''Kill Devil Hill'' * 1974: Man of the Year, General Aviation Awards,

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

* 1968: Diamond Distance Flight #90 (Int #609), Soaring Society of America * 1964: Gold Distance Flight #195, Soaring Society of America * 1964: Silver Distance Fli`ght #813, Soaring Society of America * 1962: Man of the Year,

* Distinguished Service Award,

/ U.S Department of Transportation

Honors

* In 2003, he was named one of the century’s 100 Aviation Pioneers during a ceremony held at

Wright Brothers National Memorial Wright Brothers National Memorial, located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commemorates the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine. From 1900 to 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright came here from Dayton, Oh ...

. * In 2001, the

named its Harry B. Combs Research Center in his honor. * In 1997, he was selected to present The Ralph Stanton Barnaby Lecture to the Soaring Society of America. * In 1995, the

created the Henry Combs Perpetual Trophy, recognizing 200+ Diamond Distance Flights * In 1996, he was inducted into the

. * In 1983, he became an honorary member of the

Lafayette Flying Corps The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. Numbers The ...

. * In 1973, he was inducted into the

Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame The Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame was established by the Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) in Denver, Colorado, USA, on November 11, 1969 for the State of Colorado. The original and first ten Colorado aviation pioneers were inducted in ...

.Honoree Album -

Colorado Aviation Historical Society The Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) is located in Denver, Colorado and was founded in 1966. CAHS home is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The Society acquires, restores, preserves and provides for public display, aircr ...

, 1994, Holmes, Charles W., Editor, Director Emeritus, Audubon Media Corp, Audubon, IA

Personal life

In 1936, Combs married Clara Van Schaack. They had three children—Harry B. Combs Jr., Anthony "Tony" Combs, and Clara Combs—before divorcing in 1954. He married his second wife Virginia (Ginney) in 1956. Combs liked skiing, fishing, and big game hunting, going on safaris in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. He was an avid horseman and owned three cattle ranches in Colorado—The Sleeping Indian in Ridgeway, a 19,000-acre ranch and game preserve in Elbert and

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

counties, and a 6,000-acre cattle ranch and game reserve in

Ouray County Ouray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,874. The county seat is Ouray. Because of its rugged mountain topography, Ouray County is also known as the Switzerland of America. H ...

. After he retired, he summered at a ranch in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

and spent the winters in

Wickenburg Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 7,474, up from 6,363 in 2010. History The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part of ...

. However, he also maintained a house in Denver. For the First Flight Centennial Celebration of the Wright brothers' first flight, Combs donated a full-scale reproduction of the

1903 Wright Flyer The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...

to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. Valued at $1 million, the airplane replica was reversed engineered using documents from the Wright brothers. On December 17, 2003, he attended the dedication ceremonies for the Combs-Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk. The replica was displayed at the

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,633 at the 2020 census, up from 6,683 in 2010. It is the most populous settlement in both Dare County and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The ...

. He gave $1.2 million to the

in 2001 for a learning and research center. In 2003, he died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at the age of 90 due to a heart condition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Harry 1913 births 2003 deaths People from Denver Taft School alumni Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science alumni Yale Bulldogs athletes St. Anthony Hall Aviators from Colorado Aviation pioneers American aviators Aircraft designers American glider pilots American flight instructors American aerospace engineers Aviation inventors NASA people American aviation writers 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers