Following conversion onto the Canadair F-86 fighter, McCombe was stationed at RCAF Station Chatham, New Brunswick. His first major posting was to No. 3 Fighter Wing in Zweibrucken, West Germany where he served on 434 Squadron. After a transfer back to RCAF Chatham, he would instruct at the OTU on the F-86. In his RCAF career, McCombe would have over 900 hours of aerobatic flying on the Sabre.
Golden Hawks
In 1959, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the RCAF and the 50th or "Golden" anniversary of Canadian flight, a team of Canadair F-86 Sabres, the "Golden Hawks" was created to fly at air shows. In February 1959, McCombe was selected by team leader S/L Fern Villeneuve to fly the right wing position on the newly formed team. McCombe spent three years on the team, his last as team leader in 1961. McCombe eventually would fly in over 200 Golden Hawk air shows.
Later career
Following his posting on the Golden Hawks, McCombe transferred in 1961 to CFB Trenton in the Personnel Division but then went to Air Division Headquarters in Metz, France in the same department. In 1966, he spent 9 months at the Army Staff College in Kingston, Ontario, and from there went on to CFB Rivers, Manitoba to fly as an instructor for weapons training and air fighting on Canadair T-33 Silver Star jet trainers. In 1970, McCombe reported to USAF HQ-TAC in Langley, Virginia as a Canadian exchange officer in the Doctrine Division. TAC was the designated agency for Tactical Doctrine for the Air Force and McCombe was part of the task force for revising and publishing it; Jim brought a great deal of experience to the job and the fresh perspective of another country. He also flew North American T-39 Sabreliners. In 1974, he chose to go to CFB Summerside CFB Summerside, flying the De Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo for Search and Rescue and MedEvac duties, continuing until his early request for release from the military in response to policies within the RCAF on unification and other issues. When McCombe retired from the Forces, he served 12 years with Transport Canada, ending his career there as a Regional Inspector for large aircraft. In 1986, he joined up with the new Air Atlantic as Chief Pilot, reluctantly retiring through disability in 1988. In later years, McCombe maintained his interest in aviation through spending generous amounts of time with the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum in Halifax. In 1995, he was instrumental in the recovery and restoration of Canadair Sabre 5 #23355 that was flown by the Golden Hawks. After being originally dedicated in 1986 as a gate guardian at the former CFB Chatham, the original home of the Golden Hawks, it has been on display at the AtlanticCanada Aviation Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia since 2009. McCombe died on 7 January 2011 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
