On Christmas Eve at 12:24pm, Mike D. Smith of Johnson, Kansas, earned his eternal pilot’s license and took to the skies one final time. While he will be missed, his family knows two things: he's no longer suffering, and he's now flying high in the cockpit of his Bearcat Warbird he lovingly named "Lois Jean." During his final and unending flight, there will be only blue skies, a strong tailwind will always be at his back, there will be no turbulence, and there will be no need to stop for fuel. He'll need no bathroom breaks—and he'll only land when he spies a friend on the ground—of which there are oh, so many.
The first of 16 children, Mike was born to Mahlon D. Smith and Ann Catherine (Grilliot) Smith on December 11, 1946 in Lamar, Colorado. From an early age, he defaulted to looking skyward in search of any and every plane passing overhead. Though he'd hear the four-engine radial powered planes long before he saw them, his eyes never left the sky until they were gone from view and the angry moan of their engine vibrations faded. Much to his Grandpa Smith's chagrin, this resulted in a lot of wasted time while building fence on the family ranch near Hasty, Colorado. Looking skyward, he would wonder who was in the aircraft, where they came from, where they were headed, and how they acquired the skills and knowledge to fly. Mike soon started reading anything and everything he could about aviation and planned a visit to the local airport. One day the bookmobile came to Woodrow School, and he checked out a book written by Frank Smith titled Weekend Pilot. He read the book, and from that moment on he knew his life's focus would be aviation.Seeing his love for all things aviation, his mother encouraged his love for flying, and any spare moments were spent hanging on the fence at the airport admiring the heroes who flew. Mike's maiden flight came soon after: "One sunny afternoon, I was hanging out at the airport watching A.D. White fly one of Bill Marlman’s Super Cubs. Suddenly, he taxied over and asked if I wanted a ride! Immediately I climbed in, and up we went. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. That first flight was the most awesome event of my entire life. I've never been the same and from that day on my goal in life was to fly, fly, fly."
Soon after, Bill took him under his wing, and Mike started working ten-hour days in exchange for one 30-minute instructional flight. After just five 30-minute lessons, Mike flew solo and earned his pilot's license. Years later, Bill told him he was a gifted pilot and a quick learner, so he didn't need to waste any more time teaching him. At the age of 14, he was and may still be the youngest person in Bent County's history to obtain a student pilot's license. After graduation from Las Animas High School in 1965, he attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduating in 1967 with a certification as an Airline Service Mechanic.On February 6, 1971, Mike married the love of his life, Lois Jean (Kilgore) Smith at St. Mary's Church in Las Animas, Colorado. Their marriage marked the beginning of a 52-year adventure–filled journey together. Mike and Lois worked tirelessly as a team to build a future together and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Mike always said he thought he had it made—as Lois always had a 12-pack of cold beer in her refrigerator at all times. Lois thought she had it made because Mike was a gifted commercial pilot and serial entrepreneur. Their love for each other was as palpable in 2023 as it was in 1971—and together, they were an unstoppable couple.After marrying Lois, the rest of his life centered around aviation, and he achieved many accolades. He started a crop dusting business in Stanton County in 1970 flying Ag Cats. Mike had a penchant for practical jokes, and farmers in Stanton County recall him buzzing their tractor and causing many a “shituation.” He pioneered one of the first weather modification cloud seeding operations in the country, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mike operated Smith Speed Conversions–later Mike Smith Aero–which was known worldwide for their work on the Beechcraft Bonanzas. Pilots flew into Johnson from all over the world to have Mike and his team modify their plane to fly faster using less fuel. Perhaps his proudest achievement was inventing a tail modification kit that prevented the V-tail Bonanzas from breaking up in mid-air. In his final days, he often brought this up, proudly saying he and his team had saved the lives of over 400 people by adding this kit to more than 1,200 planes.
By 1984, his black and red A-36 Beechcraft Bonanza was the fastest in the world and had broken many speed records, and he and his friend Bob Moriarty entered the plane into the Paris Air Race—but engine failure over Portugal caused Bob to bow out of the race. To everyone’s surprise (even Mike’s), Bob then flew the plane under the Eiffel Tower. In the mid-1980s, Mike and his team also engineered, designed, and built the Smith Prop-Jet, which was the first single engine turbine passenger plane ever built.
In the late 1980s, Mike started crop dusting again, this time using the modern Air Tractor airplanes. He maintained all the airplanes and operation himself until he “slowed down” from crop dusting in 2020, but Mike continued flying solo until he took his last flight in the X-58, a modified turbine P-58 Baron he built himself. At the time, this flight was simply to ferry the plane to Garden City, Kansas, for a fuel bladder replacement, and he did not know it would be his last solo flight.
While his aviation accomplishments are countless, perhaps Mike's greatest achievement was his role as husband to his wife Lois, father to his children, the best father-in-law, gramps to his grandchildren, caretaker to an unending number of cats, and loving friend to all he met.
In November 2023, Mike was officially diagnosed with end-stage ALS. Mike's last flight was on November 8, 2023 when his brother John flew Mike and Lois back from Wichita after their trip to Mayo. Even though the disease had already progressed over the past year, Mike never once let ALS define him. He fought it with all the strength, positivity, and undying dedication he had for all things in life. He never stopped the fight to attempt to fly again, but in the end, the disease proved too strong a competitor, and he bravely and peacefully died on his own terms—at his home surrounded by family. On Christmas Eve, one of his favorite days of the year, he donned his crash helmet one more time, fired up the engine of his Bearcat, and rocketed into the clouds for his final flight. Enjoy your flight, Mike—and know we'll all be watching for your contrail.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents; his beloved sister Kathy (Smith) Tomlin; brother-in-law Harold Tomlin; father-in-law Bernard Kilgore; mother-in-law "Mikie" Kilgore; and sister-in-law Pat (Kilgore) Brickman.Mike is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lois; sons Shaun Troutman and Brandon Smith; daughter Leslie (Doug) Harbour; four grandchildren—Landin Troutman, Ellison Troutman, Addison Harbour, & Keaton Harbour; his beloved five barn cats: Orph, Simon, Tom, Tux, and Mama; fourteen brothers and sisters: Carol (Ken) McEndree, John (Carolyn) Smith, Richard (Zita) Smith, Barbara (Miles) Martin, Mark (Lisa) Smith, Margaret (David) Johnson, Jeff (Tamara) Smith, Susan (Brad) McKinney, Janelle (Lewis) Nickell, Mary Beauchamp, Nancy York, Karen Smith, Joanna (Pat) Schupbach, and Amy (Jay) Lemons; sister-in-law Darlene (Ronnie) Davis; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Graveside memorial service and inurnment will be Thursday, January 4, 2024, at 2:00 PM at Stanton County Cemetery in Johnson with Vernon Butt officiating. In Spring 2024, a memorial fly-in and life celebration will be held at Stanton County Airport in Johnson, Kansas. Condolences may be sent to the Smith Family, P.O. Box 809, Johnson, KS 67855. Over the years, Mike flew countless people to medical appointments in his planes—so in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to AirCare, a non-profit organization using privately piloted planes to ferry patients to faraway medical appointments. https://www.aircarealliance.org/donations-to-aca/. Arrangements are in care of Garnand Funeral Home, PO Box 715, Johnson, KS 67855. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.