Flying Legend Dies in Crash

Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage

The pilot who died in yesterday’s crash – Terry Smith – was a flying legend in Alaska. He was a longtime pilot for Alaska Airlines. In 1988 the company chose him to fly the historic “Friendship Flight” across the Bering Sea from Nome to Russia. Rex Gray is an Alaska Airlines pilot who trained with Smith. He says Smith was “Mr. Smooth” in the air, and calls him the most professional airmen he’s ever known. Gray says he talked to Smith last spring.

Smith’s son-in-law, Major Aaron Malone died earlier this month in the C-17 cargo plane crash at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

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