Donald Arthur Luscombe

Donald Arthur Luscombe
Born	25 May 1895 Iowa City, Iowa
Died	January 1965
Resting place	Iowa City, Iowa
Citizenship	United States of America
Employer	U.S. Army Air Corps, Central States Aero Corporation
Known for	Luscombe aircraft
Children	Patricia Luscombe (1922-1922)
Parents	James L Luscombe (1868-)

Donald Arthur Luscombe (May 25, 1895–1965) was an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Luscombe Aircraft, a company which produced an advanced (for its time) sheet-metal-fuselage light aircraft during the 1930-1950 time period in the United States.

Biography

Luscombe was born on May 25, 1895, in Iowa City, Iowa.

When the US entered World War I Luscombe volunteered for duty in France, where he served as an ambulance driver.^[1] He received a citation for valor for this service.

After returning home, Luscombe married. He and his wife had a girl on 9 February 1922, but she died 19 days later (28 February 1922).

Luscombe died in January 1965. He was buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, Iowa.

Aircraft career

While in France, Luscombe received his first aeroplane ride, in a French Voisin III. After returning to the United States he launched a career in advertising in Davenport, Iowa, and purchased a Curtiss JN-4, which he promptly learned to fly. The Jenny's open cockpit and tandem seating arrangement caused Luscoombe to envision an improved arrangement, with enclosed cockpit and side-by-side seating. He talked several business associates to join with him in forming the Central States Aero Company, Inc. They hired Clayton Folkerts, a young Iowa farmer, to design and build the aircraft, which they called Monocoupe; the first example emerged in 1927.

In 1928 Luscombe published his first book, Simplified Flying.

In 1933 he moved to Kansas City, Missouri to found another company, Luscombe Airplane Development Corporation.

The company resumed production of light aircraft when World War II ended, but a glut of available surplus aircraft caused his company to fail. Its assets were bought by Temco, but Luscombe did not remain in the business.

References

1. ^ http://www.wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&brons&id=I4089 Biography of the Family of Jim and Selma Burrows

Persondata
Name	Luscombe, Donald Arthur
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 May 1895
Place of birth	Iowa City, Iowa
Date of death	1965
Place of death