Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Enshrined 1994
Lowell Smith was born in Santa Barbara, California. Educated as a mechanical engineer, he learned to fly in Mexico in 1915 while maintaining Pancho Villa’s small fleet of airplanes. In 1917 he joined the U.S. Army Air Service, initially serving as an instructor. Noted as commander of history’s first flight around-the-world in 1924, he played a key role in early military aviation development. In the post-World War I years he set 16 world records for speed and endurance in Army aircraft.
