S teven Udvar-Házy is a Hungarian-American billionaire who is considered the founding father of the modern aircraft leasing industry. Born in Hungary, his family fled the country during the Soviet occupation, eventually settling in the United States. In 1973, while still a university student, he co-founded the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) with a small amount of capital. Their business model was to buy new aircraft directly from manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus and then lease them to airlines around the world.

This model revolutionized the airline industry, allowing carriers to expand their fleets without the massive upfront capital cost of purchasing planes. ILFC grew to become one of the largest aircraft lessors in the world. In 1990, he sold the company to the insurance giant AIG for over $1 billion, but he remained as its CEO. He left AIG in 2010 to found his second aircraft leasing company, Air Lease Corporation, where he serves as executive chairman. He is also a major philanthropist, particularly to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, where the main facility is named in his honor.