The sky’s the limit: 50 years of flying in local author’s new book

Third generation Montanan, Robert Combs of Bigfork has published a book, “The Wings of Men,” covering his 50 years of flying hang gliders and light sport trikes around the world and featuring an introduction from Darlene Cecil, managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake in the early 1980s.  

A highlight of Combs’s career was being selected as the star of a series of Wrigley’s Gum commercials.  

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Combs was selected out of hundreds of pilots to star in the TV commercials. The first one, filmed in Hawaii, was so successful that the Chicago advertising agency hired him again to do two more Wrigley’s commercials that aired around the world and were featured on the Super Bowl three years in a row. He was the talent, stuntman and technical advisor for the commercials filmed from the highest and most perilous peaks of Mount Cook and the Milford Sound in New Zealand. 

Residuals from those commercials afforded the Eureka native an opportunity to fulfill two dreams -- to see the world and to fly the most challenging and exciting sites in countries he planned to visit. And he did just that. Combs bought a Volkswagen Westphalia camper on the overseas delivery plan and was able to take delivery at the manufacturing plant in Borgholzhausen, Germany.  

But, before heading to Europe, he bought a Pam Am Around the World Ticket to go to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and then see the world. Shortly after arrival in Brazil, he met a man who wanted to learn to fly. He offered Combs free housing in exchange for flying lessons (something he had already been doing in Hawaii for many years). It was a great way to spend more time in Brazil so he jumped at the opportunity.  

He stayed there and enjoyed memorable flying experiences, including flying around the famous Christo Statue overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain and the beautiful Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. From Rio he flew to Hong Kong, Thailand, India, and then to Germany to start his European camping and flying adventures.  

The camper he purchased was perfect as it enabled him to strap his gliders to the top and then head to the highest peaks in the Bavarian Alps. He flew over Neuschwanstein Castle, which is believed to be the inspiration for the Disneyland castle. He said he could look down and see tourists milling around the courtyard. They would look up in utter astonishment and wave to the man in the sky. 

He then traveled to Ireland, crossing the sea with his camper loaded onto a hovercraft ferry. Combs said flying off the sea cliffs of Ireland was beautiful and peaceful. He could see the Irish farmers looking up at the strange flying man in the sky. 

Combs returned to the U.S., but soon was flying in Canada and then in Cabo, San Lucas, on the southern tip of the Baja in Mexico. He stayed for two years, but longed for the mountains he loved. 

Over the years, he dreamed about creating a hang gliding tow boat that would allow him to mount the glider on the back of the boat and then launch into the sky when the boat reached speed. A new business was born and he ran his WaterGlide business in Lake Havasu, AZ., as well as from the beaches in Cabo and then to Marco Island and Captiva, FL., Hilton Head, S.C, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 

 But, ever the entrepreneur, Combs started looking into motorized hang gliders nicknamed “trikes.” He knew Kauai, Hawaii, would be perfect when he started Ultralight Adventures. He took hundreds of tourists around the island to see the spectacular beauty from the air. He even flew over the ocean where customers got to see whales, turtles and dolphin from a bird’s eye perspective.  

Included in Combs’s book is a story of taking a NASA employee, Peggy Whitson, in his trike. He finally asked her what she did for NASA.  Her reply was short and shocking. “I’m an astronaut!” she said. His reply was, “Holy Crap. How am I doing?” She laughed and told him he was doing just fine.  

The book took 50 years of flying experiences and a year to write and publish. It can be purchased through Amazon books under “The Wings of Men.” Locally, autographed copies are for sale at Bigfork Drug in Bigfork, Bad Rock Books in Columbia Falls, and at the Book Shelf in Kalispell.