Palos Verdes resident Tom Smith, flying high at 75

On the day he turned 16, Tom Smith earned his drivers license and his pilot’s license. Since then he’s put more miles in the sky than on the road

by Chelsea Sektnan

As a boy growing up on Catalina Island, Palos Verdes resident Tom Smith watched Navy jets soar off aircraft carriers and dreamed of taking to the skies himself. That childhood fascination turned into a lifelong love for aviation that has spanned over 50 years.

“I was on the backside of the island fishing with my dad, and I was observing the carrier operations, and I was just mesmerized by the whole process,” Smith, 75, said. “It must have stuck with me because I set my sights on that.”

With a father who had served as a World War II Army Air Corps pilot and later flew commercially, Tom was no stranger to the allure of the sky. Inspiration from his father led to a milestone: on the day he turned 16, Tom earned both his driver’s and pilot’s licenses. The dual achievement set the stage for his future in aviation.

Smith joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at San Jose State University, where he graduated with a degree in business, specializing in risk management. Shortly afterwards, at age 23, he married his wife, Karen, and signed up for the Navy.

“I thought it was a great dream of his, to fly for the Navy,” said 76-year-old Karen, who worked as a registered nurse. “I loved the fact that he had these goals.”

After completing Officer Training in Pensacola, FL, Tom was assigned to fly Navy jets and embarked on his military career. His first deployment occurred in 1973 when he was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea and eventually to the Malacca Strait.

Smith flew carrier-based A-7 Corsairs and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets. 

“Even though it was a peacetime cruise, their squadron lost two pilots in the first two months,” Karen said. “Peace time was great, but that didn’t mean it was risk-free.”

“I was fortunate enough not to be engaged in the Vietnam War,” said Smith, who missed active duty in Vietnam by just six months. “Very fortunate.”

Jeff Berry, who served alongside Tom on two deployments, recalls him as a highly dependable and talented aviator.

“Tom was an avid flier, and he was a good flier,” said Berry. “He had a great reputation as a really really good ‘stick’ someone you could feel confident flying in formation with, as your wingman.”

Though Berry himself wasn’t passionate about aviation, he couldn’t help but admire Smith,  who was known by the call sign “Spartan” after his alma mater’s mascot, “He just lives and breathes aviation — still does,” Berry said. “I know he has loved it his whole life.”

After 26 years in the Navy — 10 on active duty and 16 in the reserves — Smith retired with the rank of Navy Captain. For the next 20 years, he flew for Continental Airlines, rising to Captain on aircraft such as the 757 and 777. He also worked as an instructor and examiner, playing a key role in training the next generation of commercial pilots.

For Smith’s sons, Brodie, 47, an attorney, and Garrett, 45, an investment banker, both fathers of two daughters, their dad’s aviation career left a profound impression.

“When I was a little kid when he was more active in the Navy, it was pretty cool because he would come home from work and sometimes have his flight suit on, and it seemed like an action figure or very heroic person.” 

Brodie, who moved to Palos Verdes with his family in 1988, recalls bragging about his father’s exploits as a fighter pilot to anybody who would listen. “As a 6-year-old kid, that’s as cool as it gets.”

Even after retiring from commercial airlines, Smith couldn’t stay grounded. He began flying for Air Combat USA, a company that allowed civilians to experience what it was like to be a fighter pilot for a day. Tom thrived on giving people a taste of air combat on rides over the Pacific Ocean.

“We let them fly the airplane as much as we dare,” Tom said. “We just hope they don’t get sick, and they have a good time.”

As Larry Blackstone, 79, the former co-owner of the now-closed Air Combat USA, noted, Smith’s reputation for excellence quickly earned him the role of chief pilot.

“Our customers wanted to fly with military pilots,” Blackstone said. “We wanted them to feel good, and the fact that they know that he’s a real honest-to-God fighter pilot… he made air-to-air combat as realistic as it can be… everything was as real as can be, without bullets.”

After leaving Air Combat USA, Smith continued to fly his own plane, a Vans Aircraft RV-6, enjoying personal flights to visit friends and family for several years. However, during the pandemic, he decided to sell the aircraft, trading wings for a sailboat that he often sailed to Catalina Island. Despite this change, his passion for aviation endured. He joined the Civil Air Patrol in Torrance, where he continues to serve his country through search and rescue missions, aerospace education, and orientation rides for new Civil Air Patrol pilots.

“We do search and rescue, border patrol missions for drugs, immigration on the weekend when homeland security wants some relief,” Tom said. “It’s my way of giving back to aviation.”

Bob Fenton, 75, Commander of Squadron 129 based in Torrance, attested to Tom’s remarkable skills as a pilot and mentor.

“He has an effervescent personality — which is both friendly and encouraging,” Fenton said. “That allows his students to acquire skills successfully and comfortably.”

“I can tell you he was always eager to expand the love of flying to his family and his friend group,” Brodie said. “Whenever there was a chance for anyone to go up and fly with Air Combat USA, if he had an extra seat, he’d reach out to friends and family.”

Reflecting on his decades-long career, Tom is filled with gratitude, and hopes to share his love of adventure with his four grandkids.

“Now that I’m a senior member of society, I have a real appreciation for how fortunate I was to have such a great career,” he said. “If I had to do it over again, I’d do it in a New York minute.”

As for his future in the sky, Tom shows no signs of slowing down. After more than 50 years of flying, he remains as passionate as ever.

“When you return [from a flight], I always say, ‘Wow, that was very satisfying. I want to do that again,’” he said. “It keeps me coming back all these years. I’m kind of waiting to think I’ll grow out of it, but so far, it hasn’t happened.” PEN