Admin: Edward W. “Bill” Topping was born in 1908 in Akron, Ohio. Orphaned by the 1910 Wellington avalanche, he was raised by his grandparents. A Case School of Applied Science graduate with a passion for aviation, he began his career at Goodyear in 1936. During WWII, he became Goodyear’s rep to Grumman, where his comment about improving aircraft models led to an order for 1,500—likely the Grumman Hellcat. He later partnered with Leland Hardy and entered propeller and model production. Topping’s “100...

2025-03-25T17:10:06Z

Edward W. “Bill” Topping was born in 1908 in Akron, Ohio. Orphaned by the 1910 Wellington avalanche, he was raised by his grandparents. A Case School of Applied Science graduate with a passion for aviation, he began his career at Goodyear in 1936. During WWII, he became Goodyear’s rep to Grumman, where his comment about improving aircraft models led to an order for 1,500—likely the Grumman Hellcat. He later partnered with Leland Hardy and entered propeller and model production. Topping’s “100...

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== Summary ==
Edward W. “Bill” Topping was born in 1908 in Akron, Ohio. Orphaned by the 1910 Wellington avalanche, he was raised by his grandparents. A Case School of Applied Science graduate with a passion for aviation, he began his career at Goodyear in 1936. During WWII, he became Goodyear’s rep to Grumman, where his comment about improving aircraft models led to an order for 1,500—likely the Grumman Hellcat. He later partnered with Leland Hardy and entered propeller and model production. Topping’s “100 Kit” debuted in 1945, and he eventually sold his prop business as his injection-molded model line expanded.

File:Topping one.png - Revision history