Norm Topshe first soloed in the Spring of 1936 in Albany, Georgia in an
open cockpit Aeronca C-3. Thereafter he barnstormed. It was a dangerous
period in aviation when the average lifespan of pilots was age 33 with 6 to
7 years of flying.
Norm said, “I flew a lot of IFR in those days” . . . “I Follow the Road.”
He joined Delta Airlines in 1941 and during his career flew many types of
aircraft. He first flew the Lockheed 10 but then became one of Delta’s
original forty pilots to fly their new DC-3s. Of the forty, half were
pilots, half were co-pilots and three were supervisors.
For two years during World War 2, Delta Airlines was under a military
contract to modify 599 aircraft, to modify engines and instruments, and to
train mechanics and Army pilots in multi-engine flight. As soon as an
aircraft was modified, DAL pilots performed a test flight around the
airfield.
“The engines didn’t even cool after the plane landed,” said Norm, “When a
ferry pilot came aboard and flew it away!”
During this time DAL modified engines on the P51, the P38, the Vultee
Vengeance, the Lockheed Hudson Light Bomber / Reconnaissance, and the
Douglas SBD Dive Bomber.
Simultaneously, Delta Airlines operated a Military Transport Division (MTD)
with the Army Air Corps which utilized two to four C-47s. They flew between
Miami, Florida and Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio; and between Salinas,
Kansas and Denver, Colorado.
During this period, Norm was in charge of DAL's Multi-Engine Flight School
for the Army Air Corps using three C-47s.
“The pilots were just out of basic training and we taught them for their
multi-engine ratings. We'd have 20-25 pilots at a time and give them 25
hours in multi-engine aircraft using C-47s.”
Commercially for Delta, Norm flew more than a few aircraft: the Lockheed 10,
DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, Martin 440, DC-7, DC-8, Convair 880, and the Boeing 747.
Norm flew the 747 for four years before retiring from piloting in 1974.
From 1974 to 1993, Norm was a private consultant to DAL in Flight Operations
as a liaison between pilots and management. During this time he flew in the
jump seat of many types of aircraft over many routes. In 1993, Norm retired
from DAL - as a DAL Pilot from 1941-1974, and a DAL employee for a total of
52 years.
Norm accumulated approximately 32-33,000 total flight hours, with about
7,000 in the DC-3.
The DC-3 was Norm's favorite to fly. However, “The 747 gave me the most joy
to fly because it is stable, easy to fly, has great features and is highly
maneuverable!”
The last time Norm flew Delta's “Ship 41” was 2000 – 2001 ... sixty five
years after his first solo.
Jay Schneider
DCA-523
Boston, MA, USA
February 2004