More detail on this person: Norman L. Helmke, 73, of Greenwood, IN passed away on 16 January 2021. Norm was born October 17, 1947 the first of five children of Norman B. and Lavonne Helmke of rural Renwick, IA. He attended Boone Valley Schools in Renwick and graduated from Boone Valley High School in 1965. He attended Eagle Grove Jr. College, while working for his father on the family farm. Norm loved growing up and working on the farm, but developed a strong desire to become a pilot. The summer he graduated from high school, he took flying lessons at the airport in Eagle Grove, IA starting in June and by late August that summer, he had obtained his private pilot certificate. He voluntarily joined the Army in April 1967 to attend the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviation Course (WORWAC) with the aim of becoming an Army helicopter pilot serving in Viet Nam. Following graduation from Army flight school, WO Helmke proceeded to Viet Nam where he was assigned to Btry E (Avn) 82nd Arty, 1st Cav Div. During his tour in Viet Name, he flew 1,079 combat hours where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal with "V" device, and Air Medal with 28 oak leap clusters. Upon return from Viet Nam, Norm was stationed at Ft. Wolters, TX where he was assigned as a rotary wing flight instructor teaching new pilot trainees in the primary phase or the first 50 hours of their flight training. He flew over 900 accident-free hours during his time at Ft. Wolters. During his time working as an Army flight instructor, Norm took advantage of the G.I. Bill to earn civil FAA flight certificates and rating and flight instructor certificates. Upon earning his fixed wing flight instructor ratings and while still instructing in helicopter at Ft. Wolters, he worked part time as a flight instructor at the flight school he was attending. Norm left active duty in the Army in October 1970, but then stayed in the Army reserve, joining an aviation unit located in Ft. Worth, Texas. He went to work full time as the Chief Flight Instructor at the FAA approved flight school where he has worked part time while on active duty. In November 1971, Norm was offered a job as a helicopter pilot with Petroleum Helicopters in Lafayette, LA, which involved flying in support of oil and gas production in the platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1972, Norm moved to Eagle Grove, IA to become Chief Pilot for a large, regional trucking company, Umthun Trucking. He remained with this company for 22 years flying multi engine airplanes, including King Airs. During this time, he continued duties with the Army Reserve for units located in Des Moines, IA. In 1994, Norm accepted a job with Featherlite Inc. as their Director of Administration. While at Featherlite, he was in charge of the corporate flight department which operated King Air 350's, 200's, Beech jets, and Lear jets. Featherlite was the official trailer for NASCAR and Indy Car, and Norm and his pilots flew the corporate aircraft in support of the sales operations for these customers. Their travels took him to many places all over the U.S. Norm also managed Featherlite Aviation, a company that owned the aircraft and leased to Featherlite, Inc. His duties also including buying and selling various aircraft. Norm left Featherlite in the fall of 2010 for employment with Rockwell Collins, a large avionics manufacturer in Cedar Rapids, IA as a Sr. Customer Training Specialist responsible for training the military and airline customers on the avionic equipment produced by Rockwell. This training took Norm to many varied locations all over the world. He retired from Rockwell in July 2015 and moved to Indiana with his wife, Cindy. Norm was preceded in death by his parents, Norman B. and Lavonne Helmke. He is survived by his loving wife, Cindy. Also surviving are his children, Lance (Heather) Helmke of Las Vegas, NV and Lara Rosendahl of Cedar Rapids, IA and his step-children Christine (Scott) McFatridge of Greenwood, IN, Jill (Rob) Livingston of Clarendon Hills, IL, and Bob (Milissa) Cameron of Fishers, IN. He was proud to be called "Papa" by his 12 grandchildren. Interment will be at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel, IA at a later date to be determined.
Burial information: Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Adel, IA
This information was last updated 02/08/2021
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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