Henry Combs
Henry Combs was a structural engineer at Clarence Johnson's famed Skunk Works group of Lockheed Corporation. He was Deputy Project Manager on the Lockheed U-2 program, Head Structural Engineer on the SR-71 Blackbird, and later, Technical Director of the Skunk Works. While he is most known for his integral work on the U-2, the SR-71 and the F-117 Nighthawk, he also worked on the F-104, Lockheed Constellation, C-130 Hercules, XP-58 Chain Lightning, and Lockheed JetStar.[1][2]
Combs is revered as the father of the titanium A-12 structure. According to Ben Rich in "Skunk Works",[3] Combs was the "dean" of the eight man structures group and an "irascible genius".
Combs spoke on the U-2's development at the CIA's "The CIA and the U-2 Program" conference on 17 September 1998.
An accomplished glider pilot, Combs is honored by the Soaring Society of America's "Henry Combs Perpetual Trophy". In 1998, he completed his 200th straight-out diamond distance flight.
On May 28th 2016 at 3:10pm, after a visit with his pastor and surrounded by family, Henry Combs passed to his final rest. He lived to be 99 years old.
References
- ^ Cefarrat, Gil. "Lockheed: The People Behind the Story ", Turner Pub Co; 1 edition (December 31, 2002). ISBN 1-56311-847-5
- ^ Sweetman, Bill. "Lockheed Stealth", Zenith Press; 1st edition (January 6, 2005). ISBN 0-7603-1940-5
- ^ Rich, Ben R. "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed", Back Bay Books, 1986. ISBN 0-316-74300-3
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