Norm

     Norm is a Nebraska native, born, raised and currently residing in central Nebraska. Norm and his wife Verla, live in Grand Island and have two children, a boy and a girl.
     Norm is now retired from electrical construction work, primarily commercial and industrial. He has worked on numerous power stations, two of which were nuclear. Work sites were throughout the midwest, so he was away from home much of the time.
     His interests outside of flying are raising money to fly, gardening, music, and reading. He earned his private license in 1962 and just rolled up 500 hours pilot in command a few months ago. He has taken training in a PA-22 with a few hours in a Aeronica 7AC.
     Norm is one of our most faithful members, arriving in his 1961 Piper Colt. His Colt was delivered new to Buffalo, Wyo. After a few different owners, it went to North Omaha Airport, where it was used for training. It was then sold to a South Dakota purchaser. While it was being delivered up there, it was involved in a ground accident - collision with another aircraft at intersecting runways. It went on its back and had the tail chewed off. The Colt then was returned to Omaha for major structural repair and an engine overhaul.
     Norm bought it from Angelo Bonacci in 1979, while it was still pretty much a basket case. In the course of three years in his spare time, he scrounged and repaired parts, replaced all fabric, painted, put in new headliner, and rebuilt seat cushions (The last item not the result of accident - local joke).
     The first flights, however, were pretty anemic as the engine was developing only 90 percent power. After a year and a half of exasperation - checking and rechecking mags, carburetor, prop, muffler, ad infinitum, he finally found that the valve timing gear was installed one cog off at the time of the major.
     "The Piper now does a pretty respectable job of conveying me to fly-in breakfasts," Norm says. Norm says he enjoys our humorous quips and would like to contribute the following: Old Quaker Proverb - "Keepest thy flying speed lest the ground come up and smite thee."

Reprinted from May-June 1998 Short Wing Piper News