Jim McCombe
| James David McCombe | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Jim" |
| Born |
10 July 1932 Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Died | 7 January 2011 (aged 78) Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Allegiance |
 Canada
|
| Service/branch |
.svg){kind=small} Royal Canadian Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1951–1974 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands held | Golden Hawks |
| Relations | Parents: John McCombe and Olive Ellis. Brothers: Michael and John. Wife: Ferne (Stewart). Daughters: Karyn, Sheila, sons: Jim and Bill. |
| Other work | Inspector, Chief Pilot |
James David McCombe (10 July 1932–7 January 2011) was a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilot who was a commander of the Golden Hawks aerobatics team. His career with the RCAF spanned 23 years.
James David McCombe was born on 10 July 1932 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. After high school graduation from Soo Collegiate in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he entered military service with the RCAF in 1951.
Following conversion onto the Canadair F-86 fighter, McCombe was stationed at RCAF Station Chatham, New Brunswick. His first major posting was to No. 3 Fighter Wing in Zweibrucken, West Germany where he served on 434 (F) Squadron. After a transfer back to RCAF Chatham, he would instruct at the OTU on the F-86. In his RCAF career, McCombe would have over 900 hours of aerobatic flying on the Sabre.
In 1959, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the RCAF and the 50th or "Golden" anniversary of Canadian flight, a team of Canadair F-86 Sabres, the "Golden Hawks" was created to fly at air shows. In February 1959, McCombe was selected by team leader S/L Fern Villeneuve to fly the right wing position on the newly formed team.
McCombe spent three years on the team, his last as team leader in 1961. McCombe eventually would fly in over 200 Golden Hawk air shows.
Following his posting on the Golden Hawks, McCombe transferred in 1961 to CFB Trenton in the Personnel Division but then went to Air Division Headquarters in Metz, France in the same department. In 1966, he spent 9 months at the Army Staff College in Kingston, Ontario, and from there went on to CFB Rivers, Manitoba to fly as an instructor for weapons training and air fighting on Canadair T-33 Silver Star jet trainers.
In 1970, McCombe reported to USAF HQ-TAC in Langley, Virginia as a Canadian exchange officer in the Doctrine Division. TAC was the designated agency for Tactical Doctrine for the Air Force and McCombe was part of the task force for revising and publishing it; Jim brought a great deal of experience to the job and the fresh perspective of another country. He also flew North American T-39 Sabreliners. In 1974, he chose to go to CFB Summerside CFB Summerside, flying the De Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo for Search and Rescue and MedEvac duties, continuing until his early request for release from the military in response to policies within the RCAF on unification and other issues.
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