With World War II, just over the horizon, many aviation
historians say that the Golden Age of Air Racing started
September 2nd, 1929 at the Cleveland Ohio National Air Races
because of a little black and red Model-R mono-plane nicknamed, “Mystery
Ship.” Doug Davis piloted the craft which defeated
the military biplanes at the air races. Mr. Paul McCormick,
born December, 25th 1916, could also claim that it was this
little “Mystery Ship” that turned his interest
in aviation to a successful life long career.
Mr. McCormick graduated from Collingswood High School in
1934 and went on to study metal airplane design and engineering
at Luscomb School of Aeronautics until 1936, as it was the “Mystery
Ship” that inspired him to study airplanes.
1937 promised to be a busy year for Mr. McCormick. In October
of this year, he married his high school sweetheart, Emma
Price. He also moved to Connecticut to work for Hall Aluminum
where he focused on the hull of the PH-3 Flying Boat.
In this same year, the opportunity to move to the capital
of aviation in California and join North American Aviation,
the company that built the P-51 Mustangs, came into his grasp,
and he took it. Here, Mr. McCormick worked on the assembly
of the BT-9 engine cowling and rose to general foreman of
the cowling department. He was eventually promoted to assistant
superintendent during the peak of the P-51 assemblies.
He managed five departments with over
2,500 associates.
In 1951, Mr. McCormick and family moved to Columbus, Ohio
where he was offered the position of superintendant
of sheet metal at the Columbus plant. Here, he
helped transition the plant from Curtiss-Wright
and increased employees from 1,500 to
20,000 in 2 years.
Mr. McCormick “retired” in 1988 at seventy years
of age but continued to serve as a consultant to North American
Aviation until he finally really retired in 1999. He currently
lives in Worthington and is still active doing athletic photography
for local high schools. Paul McCormick also has two children,
three grandchildren, and two great-grand children.
