John Robert Norris

John (Jack) Robert Norris, 94, born on August 16, 1927, in Cleveland , OH, United States, passed away December 11, 2021. He resided in Porter Ranch, CA at the time of his passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, California. The family plans an additional "Celebration of Life" in the Thousand Oaks/Camirillo area in the Spring of 2022. Details to follow in the Spring of 2022.

Jack would want everyone to know who much he loved life, had a great deal of fun in his career and in all of the projects he was involved in later in life. He treasured his friends and family and was an active participant in the Aeroclub of Southern California, the Woodland Hills "Wings over Wendy's" group, the Quiet Birdman (Hanger 99), the California Luscombe Association, the Camirillo EAA organization, and the Wednesday pilot's discussion group in Thousand Oaks.

He lived an incredibly full life in his 94 years. Some of the career accomplishments of which he is most proud include:
. Getting the contract to develop the hydraulically designed flight controls for the Boeing 727, which provided the basis for the Boeing 747. He says, correctly, that over 4 billion people have flown safely because the flight controls his company designed never failed.
. Worked with Walt Disney personally to design the original animatronics for Abe Lincoln and for the Pirates of the Caribbean rides at Disneyland.
. His company designed the valves and regulators that safely fed the fuels and oxidizers on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space rockets. Like the Boeing flight controls, they also never failed, keeping the astronauts safe.
. Was the Technical Director, Mission Control, of the Voyager Non-Stop Around the World Flight that was designed by Burt Rutan and flown by Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager. Jack and his wife, Milly, worked side by side on this project, with Milly doing many of the calculations.
. Worked with Dr. Brien Seeley on testing techniques for flight efficiency.
. Researched and published a double book on the "Logic of Flight" and "Propellers, the First and Final Explanation" with his friend Andy Bauer, PhD. Jack gave countless presentations on the design of efficient propellers, including one when he was 92 years old to an aviation organization in Fresno.
. Over 108 of the things he was involved in inventing are in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Jack was always interested in flight, pointing to airplanes in the sky at a young age. He built model airplanes and was the Overall Senior Age National Model Airplane Champion in 1946 and 1948.

Jack purchased his own plane, a 1947 Luscombe 8E and kept it for over 60 years, just selling it recently. He flew the plane all the time taking Milly, his family, and friends on trips throughout the years.

Jack and Milly both loved snow skiing, hiking and backpacking. Jack climbed Mt. Whitney on his 70th birthday with his son, John, but he and Milly had climbed it earlier in their lives.

Jack was married to his wife, Milly for 63 years before she passed in 2016. He often said that he knew "she was the one" on their very first date. Jack and Milly are survived by their three children, Cheryl, Kathy, and John, Kathy's husband, Mike, John's wife, Brigitte, six grandchildren, Karl, Jonathan, Brandon, Jason, Conner and Melissa, and four great grandchildren, Megan, Emmaline, Nova and Nash.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that you make a donation to the Aeroclub of Southern California for their scholarship fund. Jack was on the Board of Directors of this organization for many years.