Harry B. Combs

Lore & Background

Combs was born in Denver, Colorado, and saw his first airplane at age four in 1917 while visiting his father, a businessman, in Canada. Despite his father's warning never to fly, Combs took a $4 ride in a mail plane in 1926 and later took flying lessons in St. Louis after being inspired by Charles Lindbergh. At sixteen, he designed and built a sport biplane called the Vamp Bat, which was reportedly damaged in a landing accident at a different location. He graduated from Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School in 1935 with a degree in applied economics, where he was a member of the track team and a member of St. Anthony Hall.

During his career, Combs co-founded Mountain States Aviation in 1938 and started Combs Aircraft Corp. in 1939, though the experimental Combscraft failed a spin test. During World War II, his company trained over 9,000 pilots, and he served as a civilian flight instructor and administrator for the U.S. Army Air Forces. His company provided support services for Lockheed's Skunk Works projects including the U-2, F-104, and SR-71 Blackbird. In 1966, he sold Combs Aircraft to Gates Rubber Company and retired, but in 1969 he was elected president of Gates Learjet, where he turned a $13 million deficit into $15 million in the bank by June 1972. He retired in 1982 with the company holding $240 million in equity.

Combs also wrote nonfiction and fiction. His book Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers (1979) won the James J. Streiberg Award. He wrote a trilogy of western novels, beginning with Brules in 1992, which won a Big Horse Award. He served on the boards of the National Aeronautic Association and the Aerospace Industries Association, and was chairman of the Colorado State Game and Fish Commission.

Reader's Guide

Harry B. Combs played a significant role in shaping modern business aviation. As president of Gates Learjet, he rescued a failing company and established it as the world's largest manufacturer of corporate aircraft, introducing innovations such as FAA approval for cruise at 51,000 feet and NASA-inspired winglet technology. His earlier work with Lockheed's Skunk Works contributed to iconic military aircraft. Combs also influenced air traffic control modernization through his service on President Kennedy's Project Beacon, developing performance-based separation standards still used by the FAA. As an author, he brought the Wright brothers' story to a wider audience and wrote popular western novels. His legacy includes the national chain of corporate airplane service centers AMR Combs and industry-standard business practices he pioneered.

Did You Know?

• Combs designed and built his own sport biplane, the Vamp Bat, at age sixteen; it was reportedly damaged in a landing accident at a different location.
• During World War II, his company Mountain States Aviation trained more than 9,000 pilots using 45 planes and 45 flight instructors.
• He was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to Project Beacon, which modernized U.S. air traffic control systems.
• Combs wrote a trilogy of western novels, starting with Brules, which won a Big Horse Award from Conquistadores del Cielo.