Don A. Luscombe’s first aircraft, the Monocoupe, was built by the Central States Aero Company of Davenport, Ohio. Became in 1928 the Mono Aircraft Corporation of Moline, Illinois, with Luscombe as president and chief engineer.
Luscombe left in 1933 and next year set up the Luscombe Aircraft Engineering Company of Kansas City, producing the Phantom I, the first U.S. metal light aircraft and a very successful design developed by Ivan Driggs from the Monocoupe D-145; 125 were built. Fabrication of parts was farmed out, reducing overhead costs on the production line. Production ceased during Second World War because of metal shortage, but was resumed in 1949. Following the L-4 Model 90 four-seater of 1934 came the 1937-1938 Model 8a, of which 1,100 were built, and the 1940 Silvaire, of which production had reached 6,000 by 1961. The Skybaby and two other low-powered versions were built. The postwar company, based at Dallas, Texas, went bankrupt in 1949, but was revived with finance from Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company Inc under the old name. The emergency of the 1950s caused suspension of production and the company was bought by Temco Aircraft Corporation, which sold manufacturing rights of the Silvaire Model 8 in 1955 to the Silvaire Aircraft Company.