Since you are reading this, you will think Bill Norton is dead. Don’t believe a word of it! He shall be more alive than he ever was. He will just have changed his address. On April 7, 2021, he went into the presence of God.
His story begins years ago. William Allen Norton was born April 17, 1945 in Berkeley, CA to Reese W. Norton and L. Lois Scouler. He attended Ojai Valley School, Nordhoff High School, and the University of Southern California (pre-med) and graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY in 1967 (B.S. civil engineering). He was also a graduate of the United States Army Ranger School (1973), U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Class No. 66 (1974), and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2007). As a combat pilot, Bill served with the 228th Assault Support Helicopter Company, 1st Cavalry, RVN (1970, 1972), surviving being shot down multiple times, including six times in his first two months in Vietnam. Among awards received were the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star (oak leaf cluster), Air Medal (second oak leaf cluster with “V” device), and Army Commendation Medal (“V” device).
After a storied career in Army flight testing, Bill moved to industry. He worked for Hughes Helicopters, flying the original YAH-64 prototype helicopters and helping to develop the Pilot Night Vision System (PNVS). He has the distinction of firing the first Hellfire missile from an Apache helicopter. After Hughes was bought out by McDonnell-Douglas, Bill worked as a production test pilot for the AH-64 helicopter.
In 1981 he started his own flight research company, Intercoastal Cargo. Bill also became a test pilot for the FAA Aircraft Certification branch in Chicago, where he rose to the rank of GS-15. While at the FAA, he performed test flights on numerous aircraft, including hot air balloons and World War II aircraft, corporate and commercial jets, numerous helicopters, and even the Goodyear Blimp. Bill also found time to be the sole test pilot and consultant for the Levolor Racing Team, where he tested the first World War II fighter aircraft, a Hawker Sea Fury, to be flown successfully and raced at the Reno Air Races. Subsequently, Bill left McDonnell-Douglas to become the chief test pilot and program manager for Enstrom Helicopters on their first turbine-powered helicopter.
In 1994, he returned to Boeing to become a senior test pilot on the V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor development program, working on the developmental flight testing of the MV-22 and CV-22 airframes and systems for the Marines and Air Force Special Ops missions. During that part of his career, he was fortunate to have been selected to take the V-22 to the Paris Airshow in 1995, and Bill holds the distinction of having made the first flight of the Osprey in Europe. In 2003, he became the chief test pilot and manager for Boeing Rotorcraft at the Mesa, AZ and Philadelphia flight test facilities.
Amazingly, Bill flew over 100 different types of aircraft and logged over 9,650 flight hours over his military and industry flight test career. He held type ratings for fixed-wing, lighter-than-air and rotary-wing aircraft, and, at one time, was the only person in the world to hold a license for powered lift.
September 2005 marked a major turn in Bill’s life. He took early retirement from Boeing and entered the seminary to answer the call into ministry, which led him to become the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Globe, AZ in 2008. He was active in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, past president of Globe Rotary, was the vice president of GILA House’s board of directors and served with the Gila County Ministerial Association. He was an active member of Presbytery de Cristo, serving on multiple committees over the years.
Bill loved to sing and had a beautiful bass voice, singing in glee clubs, choirs, and gospel quartets. He played the carillon at USMA and had the honor of singing twice on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with the USMA choir. Bill was an excellent cook and loved to create special meals for his loved ones. He traveled to over 50 countries, spoke seven languages, and made friends everywhere he went. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a booming voice and laugh. Bill liked fast cars and boats, and classical and pipe organ music. He had a passion to help the homeless and less fortunate and made serving others a daily part of his life. He survived stage IV throat cancer in 2015 and continued to work for the Lord to the end. Bill was devoted to his wife, nuts about his kids and grandkids, and took joy in serving the Lord. He was a man of deep faith, and his desire was that all would come to know and love Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Bill is survived by his wife, Mary Jo C. Norton; their children: Michael R. Norton (Mary), Eric C. Norton (Abby), Robert D. Norton (Amber), Michael D. Watson (Michelle), and Kathleen M. Kirkman (Phil); and 10 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents and one brother, James R. Norton.
A memorial service was held on April 12, 2021 at First Presbyterian Church, Globe. Interment took place at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 6, 2021.
Truly it can be said of Bill that he has “slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; sunward he has climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of… .”