Harry B. Combs

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Harry Combs was an American aviation pioneer and author of many fiction and non-fiction books. He was born in Denver, Colorado on January 27, 1913 and died at age 90 in Phoenix, Arizona on December 23, 2003.

[edit] Personal Achievements

In 1929, at the age of 16, Combs built and flight-tested a sport biplane named Vamp Bat.
In 1938, he and a partner formed Mountain States Aviation, a fixed base operation and flying school that later became Combs Aircraft.
In 1939, he designed, built and tested the Combscraft.
During World War II, Combs Aircraft Company trained 9,000 military pilots.
President Kennedy appointed Combs to Project Beacon, the project that helped form the air traffic control system still in use.
Was president of Learjet from 1971 to 1982. During his reign, the company's profits increased $200 million.
In 1974, Combs received America’s General Aviation Man of the Year award.
Recipient of the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 1985.