Linden Blue

Linden Stanley Blue (born 1936) is an American aviation executive. He is the co-owner and vice chairman of General Atomics, the U.S. military contractor that manufactures the Predator drones used by the United States Marine Corps, Air Force, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He is also the managing director of the aircraft manufacturer Spectrum Aeronautical.

Early life Blue was born in 1936 in Meeker, Colorado. Blue's father was James Elliot Blue, a real-estate developer. Blue's mother was Virginia Neal Blue, the first female treasurer of the state of Colorado. His parents owned Blue and Blue Realtor in Denver, a residential real-estate firm. The family moved from Meeker to Denver when Blue was three, but during his childhood the boy spent part of every summer in Meeker. "Shortly after the end of World War II,” he later recalled, "the city fathers of Meeker decided they needed an airport. My grandfather was a member of the Lions Club; they took on the project of clearing a mesa right outside of the city for the first airport in Meeker". This project, which took place "when he was about 8", sparked his lifelong interest in aviation.

Education Blue and his brother, Neal, who is a year older, graduated from Denver's East High and Yale University, where they were both in the Air Force ROTC.

Career Linden Blue, Neal Blue, and Ambassador John B. Emerson at the Berlin Air Show 2016 He earned his private pilot's license on 17 December 1955. An engine failure while flying a single-engine Stinson Voyager over the jungles of Honduras in 1958 made Blue a believer in twin-engine aircraft.

He belonged to the Yale Aviation Club. He and his brother flew around the U.S. and then flew around Latin America and the Caribbean . They became known as the "Flying Blue Brothers" and received extensive attention in the U.S. media, making the cover of LIFE magazine on 8 April 1957. The next year, the brothers started a banana and cacao plantation in Nicaragua in partnership with the family of former President Anastasio Somoza.

SAC and Denver real estate In 1961, he joined the Strategic Air Command; his brother joined the Air Transport Command. Linden served for three years as a SAC security officer, stationed in Denver. After completing his term of service, he and his brother entered the commercial real estate business in Denver with Colorado and Western Properties (C&W).

Cordillera Corporation Forming the Cordillera Corporation, Blue and his brother branched out "into construction, and then ranching and some natural resources—oil and gas", he later explained. Blue serves as chairman of the executive committee of the Denver-based firm, which specializes in real estate, gas utilities, and oil and gas production.

He and his brother developed a plane called the Predator to help the Contras in Nicaragua. It has since been used extensively by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. On 16 November 2001, a Predator drone killed al-Qaeda commander Muhammad Atef. Another important General Atomics product is the Warrior, which is useful in long-endurance surveillance, communications relay, and weapons delivery. General Atomics won the first Homeland Security contract for an unmanned aircraft system to patrol the U.S. borders. ] It "recognizes outstanding accomplishment in individual creativity and innovation that broadly contributes to the development of industry and to the benefit of society". Edward Bernstein, president of IRI, said, "IRI is honoring Mr. Blue for his exceptional innovations in military strategy, advanced energy research, and inspirational entrepreneurial skills. Throughout his career, Mr. Blue has constantly integrated technologies into entirely new business areas and markets".

In 2010, Blue was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Political activities Blue is a longtime Republican donor. In 2011, Blue and Herbert London criticized President Obama in an article for employing "the European model of entitlement, regulation and income redistribution as his guide....It may be one of the few examples in history when a blatantly failed system is employed as a model for success".