Linden Blue

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).

[2][3] 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.

[3] He earned his BA from Yale University in 1958, and attended the six-week Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

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.

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.

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).

[3] William Mathews White Jr. sold his entire holdings in Great Western United to C&W on the day he was forced to resign from his company in September 1971.

By February 1972 White amended the statement, indicating he had sold just under half of his shares, but both James Neal and Cowperthwaite would remain on the board.

[3] In 1975 Blue was hired by Gates Learjet, where he first worked as head of strategic planning, then as executive vice president and general manager of the aircraft division.

He stayed at Gates Learjet until 1980, influencing the firm "to be more aggressive in product development and to create higher performance aircraft through aerodynamics".

[3] General Atomics has been described as "one of the world's leading resources for high-technology systems development ranging from the nuclear fuel cycle to remotely operated surveillance aircraft, airborne sensors, and advanced electric, electronic, wireless and laser technologies".

[1] Blue's contributions to the aeronautical, energy, and military sciences were recognized by the Industrial Research Institute in 2010 when he was presented the IRI Achievement Award.

In November 2012 it was announced that he plans to marry Ronne Froman, a retired Navy admiral and former chief operating officer for the city of San Diego.