Dean Smith (pilot)
Smith was a pilot for the Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1928–1930 involved in aerial overflights to discover new land that could be claimed for the benefit of the United States.[3] Smith enlisted in the aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps in July 1917, several months before his eighteenth birthday.In this position he was able to promote himself to be a cadet in Ground [A] At 17, Smith became the youngest ever flight instructor in U.S. Army history after receiving just under 57 hours of flying instruction.[5] Though he volunteered to serve overseas to the front lines with the American Expeditionary Forces, he was posted as a flying instructor at Fort Scott.[4] Later he was then transferred to Rockwell Field in San Diego to teach at the Pursuit School of Instruction, where he remained until he was discharged in March 1919.His mother and grandparents had taken two years to complete their trip, whereas Smith flew his route to California within a week with several stops along the way.[3] Flying planes carrying air mail, day or night, was hazardous and accidents happened often, more so even than in barnstorming.– Telegram Smith reported in his autobiography, during one run from Omaha to Cheyenne, that he had had to ditch into a pasture, landing on a cow.[9] Thirty-five pilots died during the Postal Service's operation of air mail flights; most deaths were between 1920 and 1925.One day when he was flying his normal air mail route from Hadley Field to Cleveland, he caught something out of the corner of his eye that looked like a skyscraper.He pulled back on the control stick to quickly gain altitude and just missed hitting the U.S. Navy airship USS Los Angeles that was in his direct path.[21] Smith flew Antarctic missions with Bernt Balchen, a Norwegian, who piloted the first plane to traverse the South Pole.[29] Smith went back to the air mail delivery after being at the South Pole for two years with Byrd, even setting a record on the notorious "hell stretch" over mountains in Pennsylvania.
Dean Smith (disambiguation)Cove, OregonMarylandUnited States ArmyUnited States Postal ServiceairmailPrincipia CollegeSt. Louis, Missouriaviation Section of the United States Signal CorpsAmerican Expeditionary ForcesFort ScottGosport Instructor's SchoolRockwell Fieldbarnstormerair mailOregon Traillaconicroad mapsUSS Los AngelesFord TrimotorBennett'sAdmiral Richard ByrdBernt BalchenSouth PoleMarie Byrd LandLearning Curtiss CompanyFairchild AviationHughes Tool CompanyDouglas Aircraft CompanyAmerican AirlinesUnited AirlinesAir New ZealandMcDonnell Douglas DC-10Tasman GlacierMilford SoundMount CookAero Club of AmericaQuiet BirdmenAirline Pilots AssociationAviation Halls of FameDistinguished Flying CrossHarmon TrophyThe Detroit Newspublic televisionSmith PeakThurston IslandAntarcticaLittle, BrownHadley FieldNational Postal MuseumSmithsonian InstitutionNewspapers.comOakland TribuneThe New York TimesLittle AmericaLa Grande ObserverThe Brooklyn Daily EagleAntarcticNew Zealand Antarctic SocietyLos Angeles TimesNaval Institute Press