Dean Smith (pilot): Difference between revisions
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== Education == |
== Education == |
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Smith went to public schools in Oregon when a child. After high school he attended two years at a college.{{sfn|Gardner|1922|p=93}} |
Smith went to public schools in Oregon when a child. After high school he attended two years at a college.{{sfn|Gardner|1922|p=93}} |
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[[File:D C Smith 1922.jpg|thumb|Dean Smith, airmail pilot in 1922]] |
[[File:D C Smith 1922.jpg|thumb|Dean Smith, airmail pilot in 1922]] |
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Smith enlisted in the [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps|aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps]] in July 1917. He became a flight instructor after receiving just under 57 hours of flying instruction. He was promoted to second lieutenant and stayed in the States for the duration of his service duties instead of being shipped oversees to the front lines. Smith was seventeen years old when he became a flight instructor and was the youngest ever in U.S. Army history.{{sfn|Antarctica|1986|p=228}} |
Smith enlisted in the [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps|aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps]] in July 1917. He became a flight instructor after receiving just under 57 hours of flying instruction. He was promoted to second lieutenant and stayed in the States for the duration of his service duties instead of being shipped oversees to the front lines. Smith was seventeen years old when he became a flight instructor and was the youngest ever in U.S. Army history.{{sfn|Antarctica|1986|p=228}} |
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In August of 1918 through January 1919, Smith was assigned to [[Brooks Air Force Base|Gosport Instructor's School]] in Texas as an Army flight instructor.{{sfn|Gardner|1922|p=93}} He then transferred to [[Rockwell Field]] in [[San Diego]] and taught the Pursuit School of instruction for fighter pilots. He was there until discharged in March of 1919. Smith then did [[barnstorming]] for a short time at carnivals and county fairs in various States.{{sfn|Antarctica|1986|p=228}} He then became an [[air mail]] pilot on May 21, 1920,{{sfn|Oliver|1980|p=33}} which he continued until August 31, 1927.<ref name=service_dates> {{cite web |url=http://www.airmailpioneers.org/content/members7.htm |title=Air Mail Pioneers |last1=Wright |first1=Nancy Allison |last2= |first2= |date=1999 |website=Dedicated to the former employees of the U.S. Air Mail Service |publisher=President Air Mail Pioneers |access-date=July 19, 2016 |quote=}} </ref> |
In August of 1918 through January 1919, Smith was assigned to [[Brooks Air Force Base|Gosport Instructor's School]] in Texas as an Army flight instructor.{{sfn|Gardner|1922|p=93}} He then transferred to [[Rockwell Field]] in [[San Diego]] and taught the Pursuit School of instruction for fighter pilots. He was there until discharged in March of 1919. Smith then did [[barnstorming]] for a short time at carnivals and county fairs in various States.{{sfn|Antarctica|1986|p=228}} He then became an [[air mail]] pilot on May 21, 1920,{{sfn|Oliver|1980|p=33}} which he continued until August 31, 1927.<ref name=service_dates> {{cite web |url=http://www.airmailpioneers.org/content/members7.htm |title=Air Mail Pioneers |last1=Wright |first1=Nancy Allison |last2= |first2= |date=1999 |website=Dedicated to the former employees of the U.S. Air Mail Service |publisher=President Air Mail Pioneers |access-date=July 19, 2016 |quote=}} </ref> |
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| ⚫ | His next job was helping the [[United States Postal Service]] inaugurate [[air mail]] service.{{sfn|Smith|1961|pp=31-44}} This included development of a transcontinental route, "inaugurating cross-country night flying and inventing the art of instrument flying", all of which were indispensible to the first scheduled mail service. Crashes came with the job, even more so than [[Barnstorming]]. As reported in his autobiography, during one run from Chicago he had to ditch into a pasture, landing on a cow. He sent a laconic telegram to headquarters reporting the mishap. Crashes were part of the job. Engines were unreliable, and pilots were using [[road map]]s. Bad weather was a constant risk. "The service averaged a forced landing every 800 miles, Smith said, and a dead pilot every 80,000."<ref name="folkart"/> |
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}} Smith reported in his autobiography, during one run from Chicago he had to ditch into a pasture, landing on a cow. He sent a laconic telegram to headquarters reporting the mishap. Crashes were part of the job. Engines were unreliable, and pilots were using [[road map]]s. Bad weather was a constant risk. "The service averaged a forced landing every 800 miles, Smith said, and a dead pilot every 80,000."<ref name="folkart"/> Smith was stationed at [[Bellefonte, Pennsylvania]], as an air mail pilot.{{sfn|Oliver|1980|p=34}} He often flew in and out of Cleveland and used the De Havilland aircraft for the delivery of airmail.{{sfn|Oliver|1980|p=35}} |
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| ⚫ | His next job was helping the [[United States Postal Service]] inaugurate [[air mail]] service. |
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== Personal traits == |
== Personal traits == |
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Smith was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. He was nicknamed "The Dean" and was known as a man of few words.<ref name=Mag_bio> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Magazine has Life Sketch of Dean Smith |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5925979/la_grande_observer/ |newspaper=La Grande Evening Observer |page=1|location=La Grande, Oregon |date=November 23, 1929 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }} </ref> He married Mrs. Elizabeth Schuyler (daughter of Mrs. Joseph White of Easton, MD) on January 3, 1931.<ref name=married> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Dean Smith Weds New York Woman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5939978// |newspaper=[[La Grande Observer]] |location= La Grande, Oregon |date=January 6, 1931 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }} </ref> |
Smith was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. He was nicknamed "The Dean" and was known as a man of few words.<ref name=Mag_bio> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Magazine has Life Sketch of Dean Smith |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5925979/la_grande_observer/ |newspaper=La Grande Evening Observer |page=1|location=La Grande, Oregon |date=November 23, 1929 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }} </ref> He married Mrs. Elizabeth Schuyler (daughter of Mrs. Joseph White of Easton, MD) on January 3, 1931.<ref name=married> {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Dean Smith Weds New York Woman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5939978// |newspaper=[[La Grande Observer]] |location= La Grande, Oregon |date=January 6, 1931 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }} </ref> |
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Revision as of 12:44, 21 July 2016
Dean Cullom Smith (1899–1987) was an American pioneer air mail pilot, test pilot, flying instructor, Antarctic pilot, and airline pilot.
Early life
Smith was born in Cove, Oregon, on September 27, 1899.[1] His parents were Joshua Cullow Smith and Rhoda B. Smith.[2]
Education
Smith went to public schools in Oregon when a child. After high school he attended two years at a college.[2]
Mid life and career
Smith enlisted in the aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps in July 1917. He became a flight instructor after receiving just under 57 hours of flying instruction. He was promoted to second lieutenant and stayed in the States for the duration of his service duties instead of being shipped oversees to the front lines. Smith was seventeen years old when he became a flight instructor and was the youngest ever in U.S. Army history.[3]
In August of 1918 through January 1919, Smith was assigned to Gosport Instructor's School in Texas as an Army flight instructor.[2] He then transferred to Rockwell Field in San Diego and taught the Pursuit School of instruction for fighter pilots. He was there until discharged in March of 1919. Smith then did barnstorming for a short time at carnivals and county fairs in various States.[3] He then became an air mail pilot on May 21, 1920,[4] which he continued until August 31, 1927.[5]
His next job was helping the United States Postal Service inaugurate air mail service.[6] This included development of a transcontinental route, "inaugurating cross-country night flying and inventing the art of instrument flying", all of which were indispensible to the first scheduled mail service. Crashes came with the job, even more so than Barnstorming. As reported in his autobiography, during one run from Chicago he had to ditch into a pasture, landing on a cow. He sent a laconic telegram to headquarters reporting the mishap. Crashes were part of the job. Engines were unreliable, and pilots were using road maps. Bad weather was a constant risk. "The service averaged a forced landing every 800 miles, Smith said, and a dead pilot every 80,000."[7]
On Trip 4 westbound. Flying low. Engine quit. Only place to land on cow. Killed cow. Wrecked plane. Scared me. Smith.[7]
Smith reported in his autobiography, during one run from Chicago he had to ditch into a pasture, landing on a cow. He sent a laconic telegram to headquarters reporting the mishap. Crashes were part of the job. Engines were unreliable, and pilots were using road maps. Bad weather was a constant risk. "The service averaged a forced landing every 800 miles, Smith said, and a dead pilot every 80,000."[7] Smith was stationed at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, as an air mail pilot.[8] He often flew in and out of Cleveland and used the De Havilland aircraft for the delivery of airmail.[9]
Smith worked also for Learning Curtiss Company, Fairchild Aviation, Hughes Tool Company, Douglas Aircraft Company, and American Airlines at one time or another, in various capacities.[10]
Personal traits
Smith was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. He was nicknamed "The Dean" and was known as a man of few words.[11] He married Mrs. Elizabeth Schuyler (daughter of Mrs. Joseph White of Easton, MD) on January 3, 1931.[12]
Societies
Smith was a member of the Aero Club of America.[2] He was a member of "pathfinding aviation groups" including the Air Mail Pioneers Association and Quiet Birdmen. He also was the final president of the National Air Pilots Association, as it was subsumed in 1932 into the Airline Pilots Association.[13][7] As a pioneer flier, he was named to the OX5 and Aviation Halls of Fame.[7]
Byrd expedition
Smith was a pilot for Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1928–1930 and was picked from a list of over 15,000 of America's best pilots.[14][15] He flew the three-engined plane called the Floyd Bennett (in his honor to have made the Byrd expedition to the North Pole in 1926) and headed out for the South Pole on August 25, 1928.[16] He came back from the expedition to his home town in Oregon for a festive welcome on July 21, 1930. Among the many questions the crowd had for him, the one that stood out was a question about the most impressive thing he experienced while at the South Pole. His answer was of the notable silence in the antarctic. He accounted for that by his humorist remark that no woman had ever been there.[17] Smith went back to air mail delivery after being at the South Pole for two years with Byrd.[18] He was decorated in 1930 with the Distinguished Flying Cross for assisting Byrd.[19][20]
Later life and death
Smith died in Maryland on March 4, 1987.[21]
Awards
Smith received the Harmon Trophy in 1934 for being America's most outstanding aviator.[10] He was a recipient of the Detroit News Aerial Trophy.[7]
He is a featured aviator in Chasing the Sun, which is a public television documentary on "the history of commercial aviation seen through the eyes of its innovators", produced by KCET Hollywood.[22]
Published works
- Smith, Dean C. (1961). By The Seat of My Pants: A Pilot's Progress From 1917 to 1930 (1st ed.). Little, Brown. ASIN B0007DQ824.
See also
References
- ^ "PILOT STORIES: Smith, Dean C." National Postal Museum. Smithsonian Institution. 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Gardner 1922, p. 93.
- ^ a b Antarctica 1986, p. 228.
- ^ Oliver 1980, p. 33.
- ^ Wright, Nancy Allison (1999). "Air Mail Pioneers". Dedicated to the former employees of the U.S. Air Mail Service. President Air Mail Pioneers. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Smith 1961, pp. 31–44. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFSmith1961 (help)
- ^ a b c d e f Folkart, Burt A. (March 17, 1987). "OBITUARIES: Dean Smith; U.S. Airmail Pioneer Flier". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ Oliver 1980, p. 34.
- ^ Oliver 1980, p. 35.
- ^ a b Rodgers 2012, p. 90.
- ^ "Magazine has Life Sketch of Dean Smith". La Grande Evening Observer. La Grande, Oregon. November 23, 1929. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Dean Smith Weds New York Woman". La Grande Observer. La Grande, Oregon. January 6, 1931 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Cash Lack Disbands Air Pilots' Group". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. April 13, 1932 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Personnel Selected by Byrd for his Antarctic Trip; More Than 15,000 Asked For Place". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. August 8, 1928 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Cousin of Dean Smith Watches News Eagerly". La Grande Observer. La Grande, Oregon. January 6, 1930 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Byrd Expedition will be Started Tomorrow". The Bee. Danville, Virginia. August 24, 1928 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Dean Smith is welcomed in Portland / Member of Byrd's Antarctic Expedition Given Great Greeting". La Grande Observer. La Grande, Oregon. July 22, 1930 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Dean Smith, Hero of Byrd Flight, Hangs Up New Mail Record". The News-Herald. Franklin, Pennsylvania. September 23, 1930 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Dean Smith is Decorated Today by Sec. Hurley". La Grande Observer. La Grande, Oregon. July 9, 1930 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Medals for Byrd-Men". Wilkes-Barr Evening News. Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania. July 11, 1930 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Lee, Paul (2005). "DEAN CULLOM SMITH". An organization of pioneers who flew solo before December 17, 1916. The Early Birds of Aviation. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Dean Cullom Smith 1899–1987 at earlyaviators.com
Sources
- Antarctica (1986). Antarctic. New Zealand Antarctic Society.
He showed so much promise as a flight instructor – at 17 the youngest in U.S. Army history – that he was retained for the duration.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
- Gardner, Lester Durand (1922). Who's who in American Aeronautics. Aviation Publishing Corporation.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
- Oliver, Carl R. (October 1980). Plane talk: aviators' and astronauts' own stories. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-29743-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
- Rodgers, Eugene (11 October 2012). Beyond the Barrier. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-188-7.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
- Smith, Dean C. (1961). By The Seat of My Pants: A Pilot's Progress From 1917 to 1930 (1st ed.). Little, Brown. ASIN B0007DQ824.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
Further reading
- Heppenheimer, T. A. (March 13, 1995). Turbulent Skies: The History of Commercial Aviation. Wiley. ISBN 0471196940. ISBN 978-0471196945.
{{cite book}}:|format=requires|url=(help) - Lajotte, Charles A. (October 1936). "When the Air mail was a pup". Western Flying.
External links
