Felix Turney Smith was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on March 19, 1918. During World War II, he served in the Army air unit's reserve and in the merchant marine. He joined Civil Air Transport after the war. As a pilot, he flew covert missions over Asia for the American government during the early days of the Cold War. After Civil Air Transport stopped operating in 1975, Smith was a pilot for Japan Airlines and director of operations for South Pacific Island Airways. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal in 1993. His memoir, China Pilot: Flying for Chennault During the Cold War, was published in 1995. He died from complications of pneumonia on October 3, 2018 at the age of 100.
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