OTHER RESOURCES

Ii found no biographical file for pilot Luscombe in the archives of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC.

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Your copy of the Davis-Monthan Airfield Register 1925-1936 with all the pilots' signatures and helpful cross-references to pilots and their aircraft is available at the link. 375 pages with black & white photographs and extensive tables

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The Congress of Ghosts (available as eBook) is an anniversary celebration for 2010.  It is an historical biography, that celebrates the 5th year online of www.dmairfield.org and the 10th year of effort on the project dedicated to analyze and exhibit the history embodied in the Register of the Davis-Monthan Airfield, Tucson, AZ. This book includes over thirty people, aircraft and events that swirled through Tucson between 1925 and 1936. It includes across 277 pages previously unpublished photographs and texts, and facsimiles of personal letters, diaries and military orders. Order your copy at the link.

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Military Aircraft of the Davis Monthan Register 1925-1936 is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Art Goebel's Own Story by Art Goebel (edited by G.W. Hyatt) is written in language that expands for us his life as a Golden Age aviation entrepreneur, who used his aviation exploits to build a business around his passion.  Available as a free download at the link.

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Winners' Viewpoints: The Great 1927 Trans-Pacific Dole Race (available as eBook) is available at the link. This book describes and illustrates with black & white photographs the majority of military aircraft that landed at the Davis-Monthan Airfield between 1925 and 1936. The book includes biographies of some of the pilots who flew the aircraft to Tucson as well as extensive listings of all the pilots and airplanes. Use this FORM to order a copy signed by the author, while supplies last.

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Clover Field: The first Century of Aviation in the Golden State (available in paperback) With the 100th anniversary in 2017 of the use of Clover Field as a place to land aircraft in Santa Monica, this book celebrates that use by exploring some of the people and aircraft that made the airport great. 281 pages, black & white photographs.

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DONALD ARTHUR LUSCOMBE

 

Donald Luscombe, Date & Location Unknown Source: Link)

Donald Luscombe, Date & Location Unknown Source: Link)

Donald Luscombe, Date & Location Unknown (Source: Link)

Donald Luscombe, Date & Location Unknown Source: Link)

 

Curiously, in light of the impact he had on Golden Age aircraft design and production, I found no biographical file for Donald Luscombe at the Smithsonian. Regardless, he was born May 25, 1895 in Iowa City, IA. He was a first-generation American citizen. His birth certificate identified his father as James Liddle Luscombe, born in England. His photograph, right is from Iowa Aviation Museum Web site. He was inducted into that organization's Hall of Fame in 1997. His photograph, left, is from the New Jersey

Aviation Hall Of Fame.

The 1900 U.S. Census, his first, placed him and his parents at 1027 Kirkwood Avenue, Iowa City. That address today is in an area of light industry and no residences. His father's occupation was coded as "Photographer." In 1910, the Census data again placed them in Iowa City and enumerated a brother, Robert, age 8.

As WWI approached, Luscombe was 22 years old and employed as advertising manager for the Schradzki Company, a men's clothing store in Peoria, IL. The best I found for his employer was in the FRANKS PEORIA CITY DIRECTORY for 1899. It was called Nusbaum & Schradzki or The Model Clothing Co., 221 Adams Street in Peoria, managed by Isaac Nusbaum and Michael Schradzki. The store no longer exists.

His WWI draft registration documented his employment. He filed for exemption because he was enrolled with a university and was involved with their hospital service.

Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 5, 1939 (Source: newspapers.com)

Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 5, 1939 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

To no avail. Luscombe served in the Army from May 1917 to July 1919. He was stationed in France as an ambulance driver, duty for which he was cited for heroism. A brief article segment that appeared as a 20-year retrospective in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, June 5, 1939, left, documented his activity in France. He took his first airplane ride in France and liked it. He left the service as a private.

 

The Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 16, 1920 (Source: newspapers.com)

The Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 16, 1920 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

In short order, when he returned home in 1919 he bought a surplus Curtiss JN-4 Jenny which he learned to fly. And he married Elnora J. Coe (alternatively spelled Eleanor or Eleanore in some sources) on December 12, 1919 in Tipton, IA. Her name was spelled "Elnora" on their official marriage registration, so we'll default to that spelling.

Their marriage was announced two months later in The Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 16, 1920, right. Things get confusing when you examine the 1920 Census, which was taken in Luscombe's neighborhood on January 5th and 6th. The Census states that Luscombe was single and living with his parents and brother Robert in Iowa City. So we have him married on December 12, 1919, single and living with his family at Census time in January 1920, and his earlier marriage announced in the Gazette in February 1920. I have no guesses concerning the discrepancies. Regardless, the 1925 Iowa state census listed Elnora and him living at 2412 East Street, Davenport, IA. That address today is a two-storey frame home on a hill in a wooded neighborhood on a brick-paved street.

Lore has it Luscombe was dissatisfied with his Jenny's open cockpit and decided to do something about it. In 1926 he organized the Central States Aero Company, Inc. He hired as designer Clayton Folkerts. Together they designed and built  the first Monocoupe Model 70 airplane in 1927. The Monocoupe was a small, two-seat, side-by-side, enclosed cockpit, high-wing monoplane. A fortunate combination of light weight, the correct engine(s), and streamlining resulted in good performance. Monocoupes were the airplanes to beat in air races of the late 1920s-30s. Several models evolved, the Monocoupe, Monosport and Monocoach. A good example of a Register Monosport is at the link. A brochure advertising the Monocoupe line for 1932 is at the link.

In 1930, according to the Census, Luscombe and Elnora lived at 218 Forest Road, Davenport, IA. That address still exists in a neighborhood of what appears to be upper middle class homes. With them was their son, James, about three years old (1927-1984), and an 18-year old servant named Sally Paaske. He owned his home, which was valued at $16,000. His occupation was coded as "President" in the aviation industry. He and Elnora had another child, a daughter, Patricia, born in 1922, who lived only a few days.

Luscombe visited Parks Airport six times. He always arrived solo. On February 14, 1930 he arrived in an unidentified Monosport. He noted he was headed to the "Lenox" [sic] Hotel. At that time the Lennox was a brand new hotel in St. Louis. It suffered through the Great Depression and changed hands a few times. Most recently the building emerged from restoration in 2015 as the Courtyard St. Louis.

Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 16, 1934 (Source: newspapers.com)

Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 16, 1934 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

His next landing at Parks was on Tuesday, April 1, 1930 at 4:45 PM. He identified his home base as Moline, IL. He flew the Monosport NC161K. His next two arrivals, on May 21st and June 8, 1930, were in NC190K, a Monocoupe. He landed in NC507W on either July 14 or 15, 1930 (he didn't write an arrival date in the Register). Finally, on Wednesday, August 5, 1931 he arrived in Monocoupe NC521W. He noted no reasons for any of his visits.

The early 1930s were busy years for Luscombe. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 16, 1934, left, Elnora and Luscombe were divorced September 8, 1934. The same article announced his immediate remarriage on October 13th to Ora Mary Wellington (b. 1906). In the sources I researched, her name was variously spelled Ora Mae, Cora Mae and, see Luscombe's draft registration, below, for Cora May.

In 1933, Luscombe left Central States Aero Company and moved to Kansas City, MO to found the Luscombe Airplane Co. In 1935 he moved to Mercer County Airport, West Trenton NJ. and reincorporated as the Luscombe Aircraft Development Corporation. Besides aircraft design and production, his new firm also did aircraft maintenance and operated the Luscombe School of Aeronautics, with students providing some of the production labor force.

In 1939, he was edged out of his company after public stock sales resulted in financial control being taken over by an Austrian businessman, who in turn was removed from management during WWII because of his Austrian citizenship.

Regardless, through the 1930s he improved his plant's methods to a point where he produced 32 aircraft a month. In 1939, Luscombe sold his shares in the company and retired at age 44, to his farm in Pennsylvania (see below). The last airplane he was involved with was the Luscombe 8A, of which 948 are still registered with the FAA as of the upload date of this page. Production of the 8A ended in 1948.

Continuing, a couple of years after he retired, as WWII advanced, Luscombe was registered for the draft April 21, 1942. His registration is below. It was common for all men to be registered, even 47-year olds, and many other Register pilots "of a certain age" had similar draft cards. Interestingly, the date of his registration was just days after fellow Register pilot Jimmy Doolittle and his crews executed their bombing raid on Japan on April 18th.

D.A. Luscombe, Draft Registration, April 21, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)

D.A. Luscombe, Draft Registration, April 21, 1942 (Source: ancestry.com)

His given address corroborates his retirement to his farm in Pennsylvania, and clarifies the spelling of his wife's name. We learn also from this document that he was a slight man, 138 pounds and 5'10" with a scar on his right wrist.

D.A. Luscombe in Lacrosse Tibune (WI), October 25,1948 (Source: newspspers.com)
D.A. Luscombe in Lacrosse Tibune (WI), October 25,1948 (Source: newspspers.com)

 

The 1940 Census was revealing. He and Cora were living in Trenton, NJ on Old Bethlehem Pike, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA. This address is about two miles northwest of the address on his draft registration. They had a live-in servant named Susan Nice, 52. His son, James, who would have been about 13, was not living with them. His occupation was coded as aircraft designer, and he stated that he had worked 85 hours (yes, that's 85 hours) during the week before the census was taken on April 25th.

I have little information about his activities during WWII and beyond. An article in the Lacrosse Tibune (WI), October 25,1948 documented a flight taken by one Donald Smith in a Luscombe aircraft from the LaCrosse Municipal Airport to St. Paul, MN and return, left. There were dozens of this kind of article posted after WWII where Luscombe's aircraft were cited, some for travels; some for sale or resale (below) and some documented accidents suffered by the aircraft.

Freeport Journal-Standard, October 12, 1948 (Source: newspapers.com)

Freeport Journal-Standard, October 12, 1948 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

 

 

 

Obituary, Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 14, 1965 (Source: newspapers.com)

Obituary, Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 14, 1965 (Source: newspapers.com)

 

 

 

Other articles cited Luscombe's training facility, established in the 30s as a marketing arm for his airplanes. Far fewer mentioned Luscombe personally, like the Iowa Press- Citizen of March 11, 1959 (not shown), which included him in a report on his mother's death at 84 years.

In 2005, I wrote the following on Clare Bunch's Web page out in Tucson. It provides more detail around the Monocoupe Corpororation. Register pilot Bunch was President, General Manager and Sales Manager of the Monocoupe Corporation.

 

"As an aside, Monocoupes were the most successful of all the stock plane racers during the Golden Age of Air Racing. Early in the company’s life, Donald A. Luscombe was president, J.A. Love was V.P., and Clayton Folkerts was chief engineer. Discontent with airport conditions at the original corporate site at Moline, IL caused a move by late 1931 to Lambert Field in Robertson, MO. Reorganized into the Monocoupe Corp., Luscombe was retained as president, and Frederick Knack replaced Folkerts as chief engineer.

"In 1933, Luscombe left. By 1935, Wooster Lambert (Lambert engines were used in many Monocoupe models) was president, John Nulsen was V.P., Clare Bunch was Sales Manager and Tom Towle was chief engineer. Sometime in 1939 or thereabouts, the company was dissolved, reorganized and moved to Orlando, FL as a subsidiary of Universal Molded Products (Indeed, the "UNIV" on the fuselage of the Monocoupe in the top image [refer to the link to view the photo] may reflect that reorganization). After World War II the company was purchased by another group, also in Florida, before going out of business in the 1950s."

Today, between 1-2,000 aircraft still are registered with the FAA that bear the Luscombe name. And at least 100 Monocoupe, Monoprep and Monocoach models are stll registered, about the same number as vintage Travel Airs.

Generally speaking, Luscombe was an entrepreneur and business man who leveraged his early experience of a ride in a WWI airplane into becoming the manufacturer of a suite of Golden Age aircraft that still dot 21st century skies. He sought to make general aviation, personal aircraft, but innovative designs resulted in unique weight to power ratios that made his early products efficient racers. His later designs persist because of their sheet metal fabrication resulting in ease of maintenance and restoration.

D.A. Luscombe Grave Marker, January 10,1965 (Source: findagrave.com)

D.A. Luscombe Grave Marker, January 10,1965 (Source: findagrave.com)

 

Luscombe flew West January 11, 1965, age 69. His grave marker in Pennsylvania is above. His obituary from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 14, 1965 is above, left. He was buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, PA. His death certificate is below. He succumbed to a ruptured aorta.

D.A. Luscombe Death Certificate, January 10,1965 (Source: ancestry.com)

D.A. Luscombe Death Certificate, January 10,1965 (Source: ancestry.com)

A biographical statement appeared at his findagrave.com page, below.

D.A. Luscombe Biographical Statement (Source: findagrave.com)

Donald Arthur Luscombe (May 25, 1895 – January 10, 1965) was an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Luscombe Aircraft, which produced an advanced sheet-metal-fuselage light aircraft during the 1930–1950 time period in the US. Luscombe was born on May 25, 1895, in Iowa City, Iowa to parents James L. Luscombe and Minnie E. Hartle.

When the US entered World War I Luscombe volunteered for duty in France, where he served as an ambulance driver. 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). He and his wife Eleanor had a second child, a boy named James True Luscombe, who was born on 4 August 1927. James True Luscombe, founder of Luscombe Engineering Company (1954–present), died May 8, 1984 and is survived by James H. Luscombe, Kelly A. Luscombe, Elizabeth S. Luscombe and Patricia J. Luscombe. While in France, Luscombe received his first aeroplane ride, in a French Voisin III. After returning to the US he launched a career in advertising in Davenport, Iowa, and purchased a Curtiss JN-4, which he learned to fly. The Jenny's open cockpit and tandem seating arrangement caused Luscombe to envision an improved arrangement, with enclosed cockpit and side-by-side seating.

To further the idea, Luscombe talked several business associates into joining with him to form 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—a cheap, light, quick, efficient, comfortable two-seater—and was the beginning of a radical change in personal aviation in the United States, the small, enclosed-cockpit "personal" light plane, well-suited for comfortable cross-country travel. In 1928, Luscombe published his first book, "Simplified Flying."

In 1933 Luscombe left the Monocoupe business (owned by Lambert Aircraft Corporation at the time) and moved to Kansas City, Missouri to found another company, Luscombe Airplane Development Corporation building all-metal monocoque fuselage aircraft.The company resumed production of light aircraft when World War II ended, but a glut of surplus aircraft caused his company to fail. Its assets were bought by Temco, but Luscombe did not remain in the business.

Luscombe died in January 1965. He was buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, Iowa [note this place of interment disarees with the location stated on his death certificate, above].

Luscombe also landed once out in Tucson Wednesday, October 23, 1929. He flew the Monosport NC8957. Please follow the link to see a photograph of this robust and speedy aircraft, and to learn who else flew it.

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