At age 86, FAA examiner keeps new pilots in Dallas on their toes

At age 86, FAA examiner keeps new pilots in Dallas on their toes

For almost six decades, FAA examiner has kept new pilots on their toes


12:00 AM CDT on Friday, September 28, 2007
By JOANNA CATTANACH / The Dallas Morning News
jcattanach@dallasnews.com

His black and white cap tilted at a rakish angle, T.M. Smith readied himself Tuesday afternoon for another test flight with a painfully nervous pilot.

At a spry 86, the World War II veteran and Federal Aviation Administration examiner has been through this routine thousands of times.

The aircrafts may have changed since he first became an examiner about 57 years ago, but the pilots haven't.

"They're all nervous," said Mr. Smith, who tests navigation, pilotage and instrument flying skills.

It's hard to imagine seasoned and rookie pilots fearing Mr. Smith, or Smitty as he's better known around Addison Airport. The fair-skinned grandfatherly figure with a patch of white hair and whisper of a mustache isn't exactly a physically intimidating presence.

But don't let the wrinkles and hearing limitations fool you. Smitty takes his flying seriously and students like Tom Hunse know it.

"His reputation is tough," said Mr. Hunse, who described his first experience in the cockpit with Smitty as "daunting."

"I was surprised, on meeting him, at his stature," Mr. Hunse said. "He carries a seat cushion with him to the airplane."

By his estimates, Mr. Smith has logged 47,000 hours in the skies in and around Dallas and examined 10,000 students. And he has no intention of quitting anytime soon, although his wife of 62 years, Joan, hopes otherwise.

"She would like for me to be home more than I am," Smitty said.

For now, the Ranger, Texas, native continues to educate himself on new aircraft and new technology.

His parents helped pay the $40 fee for ground school. Back in the 1940s, he flew missions for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

"You had to fly primarily by looking out the window," he recalled. Now, "It's easier because the airplanes are easier to fly."

His back office at Classic Aviation in Addison is a testament to 66 years in aviation. A bright yellow replica of a Piper Cub, the plane he flew to get his pilot's license, sits on a filing cabinet near black-and-white photos of cocky, young pilots from his war days.

"I did nothing very distinguished except survive," Mr. Smith said. "Three-fourths of my classmates didn't."

The veteran aviator with an airplane belt buckle and tie once dreamed of becoming a sportswriter. Retired Dallas Morning News sports columnist Blackie Sherrod is his hero.

But it's hard to imagine him doing anything else, says Cassie Green, owner of Classic Aviation.

"He probably knows more about flying any kind of airplane than anybody out there," Ms. Green said. "He just loves it. He's a natural."