Frank Kingston Smith Sr.


Frank Kingston Smith Sr. was a criminal attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but is best known as the author of several books and articles on aviation. His first book, Week-end Pilot, helped to bring the joys of flying to the attention of the general public. His eldest son, Frank Kingston Smith is a well-known radio personality and is an aviation enthusiast himself.

Career

Early career

After serving in World War II in naval intelligence and on a P.T. Boat, Smith graduated from law school, became a criminal trial attorney and later, a partner in a Philadelphia law firm. Smith used the joys of flying as a way to relax from the stresses of his job. Although Smith gave up law in 1965 to become the executive director of the National Aviation Trades Association, he returned to law ten years later specializing in aviation matters for a Washington, D.C. law firm.

Pilot

His first airplane lesson was on June 2, 1955 at Wings Field located in suburban Northwest Philadelphia. Smith was an instrument as well as multi-engine rated pilot with over 10,000 hours of flight time. He finally gave up flying in 1995.

Author

Smith was the author of several books and articles on general aviation. His first book, Week-end Pilot, was published in 1957. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Smith wrote a column for Flying Magazine as well as articles for AOPA Pilot and Sports Aviation.
As a writer, his output was prolific, writing a total of 16 books and well over 1,000 articles.

Personal life and death

Smith is survived by three sons, Frank, Doug and Greg, all of whom are pilots. He was married to Marianne until his death in 2003 of Alzheimer's disease. At his request, Smith's ashes were spread over Wings Field exactly 50 years to the day after he had his first airplane lesson.

Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association

In 1959, Smith was one of nine lawyers to sign the articles of incorporation to create the Aviation Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association, a New Jersey non-profit corporation dedicated to bringing together lawyers who also happen to be pilots. This association still exists.

Selected works

Books (selection)

Week-end Pilot. Random House, 1957Flights of Fancy. Random House, 1960I'd Rather Be Flying!. Random House, 1962Computer Guide . Sports Car Press, 1962Private pilot's survival manual. TAB Books, 1979How to Take Great Photos from Airplanes. McGraw-Hill, 1979Aviation and Pennsylvania. Franklin Institute Press, 1981Weekend Wings. Random House, 1982Legacy of Wings: The Story of Harold F. Pitcairn. Jason Aronson/T.D. Associates, 1982Flying the Bahamas: The weekend pilot's guide. TAB Books, 1983

Awards