He sent a laconic telegram to his division supervisor at headquarters in College Park, Maryland, reporting the mishap. 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. 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. His mother had taken this trail by covered wagon from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Cove, Oregon, in 1871. His first assignment was to fly mail from Omaha, Nebraska, to California, essentially following the same route as the Oregon Trail. He had logged 900 hours of flying time in the Army before he joined the U.S. Smith was instrumental in the inauguration of the air mail service by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in the summer of 1919. Eventually he destroyed his plane and discontinued these ventures. He also gave five-minute rides, for five dollars each, at county fairs in various states during this time.

Subsequently, Smith flew as a barnstormer for about a year at carnivals.

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. He was promoted to second lieutenant and stayed in the United States for the duration of his service duties.įrom August 1918 to January 1919, Smith was assigned to Gosport Instructor's School in San Antonio, Texas, as an Army flight instructor. 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. Army history after receiving just under 57 hours of flying instruction. In this position he was able to promote himself to be a cadet in Ground Īt 17, Smith became the youngest ever flight instructor in U.S. During this time, he was the youngest enlist to serve in the capacity. Soon after he enlisted, he was promoted to master signal electrician, the highest non-commissioned rank of the US Army Signal Corps. Smith enlisted in the aviation Section of the United States Signal Corps in July 1917, several months before his eighteenth birthday.

Pioneer mail pilot