Originally published in 2002
MOYA LEAR
Moya Lear, wife of Learjet designer William P. Lear, died last December in Reno, Nevada; she was 86.
Faithful to the last request of her husband, she completed his Lear Fan project as chairman of Lear Aviation and saw the aircraft fly in December 1980. She was the daughter of vaudeville entertainers, who met Lear after a Broadway performance in 1938. After Lear’s death in 1978, she graciously accepted her role as a leading lady in aviation.
She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Women Aviation Pioneers, and sat on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
ART LOMBAS
Art Lombas loved flying to the very end. A basic flight instructor and private pilot, Art was test-flying a Cosmos trike when according to witnesses he took off, made a left turn, straightened out, and began another left turn that continued into the ground. CPR was unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead shortly afterward at a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. The cause of the crash is still undetermined.
Lombas discovered the joy of ultralight contests in 1966 and became an enthusiastic member of DFW Lite Flyers (United States Ultralight Association Club 393). Many aviation enthusiasts in north Texas had their first flight in an ultralight with Lombas.
According to friends, Lombas enjoyed sharing his love of flying and had thousands of hours of ultralight flight time; he was affectionate, happy, and never missed an opportunity to fly or to help a friend.