Albert Daniel Smith

He was born on February 6, 1887. He trained to fly and was awarded Aero Club of America license #354.^[1]

Albert D. Smith won an American Hydroplane duration record on February 19, 1916^[2]

In March 1918 he crashed at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio and was injured.^[1]

He arranged the first transcontinental flight for the United States Army in 1918.^[1] Under his command the first transcontinental flight for the United States Army was made in 1918 using four JN-4 aircraft. On December 4, 1918, they left San Diego, California. They landed Jacksonville, Florida on December 22, 1918.^[3][4]

In 1919 he joined Henry H. Arnold's Northwestern Forest Fire Patrol and was released from service in 1923 because of his disability from his previous crash.^[1]

He died on January 20, 1970, in Newport Beach, California.^[1]

• Albert Daniel Smith at Early Aviators