Jack Norris, an aviation and space pioneer, died on December 21, 2021. Holder of more than 50 aerospace patents, many conceived during his time with NASA, he was a constantly inventive presence in the aviation world. The Experimental Aircraft Association shares a short autobiographical sketch with an incredible number of highlights. As a youth, Jack was twice the Senior Overall National Model Aircraft Champion in 1946 and 1948. Later, he created Boeing’s flight controls, which allowed safe flights for over four billion of us. 107 of his maneuvering rocket control valves flew on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, and are now in the Smithsonian. He was the Technical Director for the Voyager, Burt Rutan’s airplane that carried Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager on their non-stop around-the-world flight in 1986. This followed a long career that included acting as a consultant on nuclear power, nuclear submarines, and work for the U. S. Air Force on acceptance testing for craft as diverse …
