"Mensa Journal" August 2022
Aeromorphosis: A Memoir, The Evolution of American Aviation by Samuel Don Smith is a relatively technical book specifically for those who love flying or aviation history. When I say relatively technical, I mean it included much information on airplane construction and flying for people who are well-grounded in the vocabulary of that world. For the average reader (or me), footnotes or sidebars on almost every page would have been useful. Smith probably began his love of aviation earlier, but he started his career at the age of 7 when he joined the Ground Observer Corps in the 1950s. The corps, made up of as many as 750,000 volunteers post-WWII, was organized by the government to supplement the radar installations guarding our borders. Smith soloed for the first time in 1962 and retired as a commercial pilot in 2005, with a stint in the Air Force in between, including time in the Vietnam War. And he's still flying. If you have something that can get off the ground, he's prob-ably flown it, from gliders to the biggest jets. He's seen it all and is glad to share what he learned about how aviation has changed in the past 50 years. Visit aeromorphosis.com.
Royal Aeronautical Society "Aerospace" Magazine, March 2022.
"Aeromorphosis: A memoir, the evolution of American aviation by Samuel Don Smith,Privately printed, 2021, 444pp.
The memoirs of a USAF pilot who was trained on the Northrop T-38 Talon and flew the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, before training as a test pilot and later became a pilot for Delta, flying, among other aircraft the Boeing MD-11. He also describes his world record flight between Tokyo and Atlanta."
AOPA Pilot Magazine: "PANDEMIC PROSE"
"Aeromorphosis" What did you do during the pandemic? Author and pilot Samuel Don Smith used the lockdown to write more than 400 pages of personal stories, aviation history, and reflections on aviation safety in Aeromorphosis, a memoir of his life from student pilot to U.S. Air Force fighter pilot to airline captain. Amusing, critical, and revealing, his storytelling chronicles the history of aviation, his own, and the world's.
Daedalus Flyer, the magazine of the premier fellowship of military aviators, Spring 2022
The astute reader will recognize author-and Daedalian Life Member #801-Samuel Don Smith's name, as he wrote three very good articles for our "Daedalus Flyer" magazine (one each on his experiences in the F-101, F-102, and F-106). Don, as he prefers to be called, has released "Aeromorphosis," a memoir of his varied and extensive flying. The book is subtitled: "The Evolution of American Aviation." and it is truly that as Don covers the second 50 years of American aviation with this experiences in the military, general aviation, commercial (airlines), glider, seaplane and air show flying. Not only does this master aviator discuss how aircraft have changed drastically during this period, but also how aviators have had to adapt and interact with the changes. The stories are told with Don's terrific, dry sense of humor that will keep you turning the pages, reluctant to put the book down. I liked this book so much I read it a second time. It is a keeper in my library. Great job, Don.
Dean Howard:
One person’s account, a well written and finely documented autobiography, covering the second fifty years of powered flight.
Zip Martin, UPS MD-11 Captain:
Finished reading your book... I loved it! It’s what every young aviator should read. It was no fluff just the truth. I couldn’t stop reading it !! Man you’ve done it all.
Jim “Wiley” Green, retired fighter pilot and airline pilot:
Don Smith has given us an entertaining, funny, and fact filled glance into his extraordinary life. He has accomplished more in his 70 plus years than anyone I have ever known. And he brings to life his many adventures through these pages. Although this book centers around aviation, it is told in such a way for all to enjoy. This is a single sitting kind of book -– once you start it, plan on staying where you are because you won’t put it down until you are finished!
Michael Hayes, Captain, Delta Air Lines, Lt. Col. USAF retired
Every pilot remembers the exact moment when they wanted to become a pilot. It’s the seminal moment that very few will ever achieve and is the basis for the brotherhood that all pilots feel for one another. Don Smith chronicles his journey better than anyone I've ever read. From his earliest beginnings as a scout in an abandoned airport tower watching for planes, to building flying hours by flying bodies for mortuaries, to becoming a fighter pilot, hiring on with Delta Air Lines, retiring as a B-777 check airman, going into corporate aviation and finally flying his many personal airplanes and jets. He is not just a pilot's pilot but is also an aviation romantic. He captures the dreaded uh-oh moment of fear all pilots have felt; wondering if they will crash or run out of fuel. He writes about the exhilaration of flying Mach 2 Interceptors in Iceland and intercepting Russian Bombers. Don flew in the golden age of modern aircraft. He flew the Century Series fighters in the military and transitioned to airline flying. He describes the challenges of flying the workhorse of commercial airlines; the B-737 and the elegance of the B-777. You won't be able to put Aeromorphosis down. Every story is interesting and builds on itself leading to the next story and challenge. Don writes about being the new guy in a squadron and the excitement of checking out as a fighter pilot but also as an academic and the challenges of becoming the Chairman of ALPA's and IFALPA's Human Factors and Human Performance committees at a time when the industry needed to change as highly automated cockpits were invented. He humbly discusses his role in investigating several tragic and horrible accidents leading him to become one of the inventors of CRM. He found himself in the boardroom with CEO's advocating and encouraging the airline industry to evolve from one with nutty character Captains to one with team centered CRM skills. Without a doubt Aeromorphosis is the best aviation book I've ever read.
Aeromorphosis: A Memoir, The Evolution of American Aviation by Samuel Don Smith is a relatively technical book specifically for those who love flying or aviation history. When I say relatively technical, I mean it included much information on airplane construction and flying for people who are well-grounded in the vocabulary of that world. For the average reader (or me), footnotes or sidebars on almost every page would have been useful. Smith probably began his love of aviation earlier, but he started his career at the age of 7 when he joined the Ground Observer Corps in the 1950s. The corps, made up of as many as 750,000 volunteers post-WWII, was organized by the government to supplement the radar installations guarding our borders. Smith soloed for the first time in 1962 and retired as a commercial pilot in 2005, with a stint in the Air Force in between, including time in the Vietnam War. And he's still flying. If you have something that can get off the ground, he's prob-ably flown it, from gliders to the biggest jets. He's seen it all and is glad to share what he learned about how aviation has changed in the past 50 years. Visit aeromorphosis.com.
Royal Aeronautical Society "Aerospace" Magazine, March 2022.
"Aeromorphosis: A memoir, the evolution of American aviation by Samuel Don Smith,Privately printed, 2021, 444pp.
The memoirs of a USAF pilot who was trained on the Northrop T-38 Talon and flew the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, before training as a test pilot and later became a pilot for Delta, flying, among other aircraft the Boeing MD-11. He also describes his world record flight between Tokyo and Atlanta."
AOPA Pilot Magazine: "PANDEMIC PROSE"
"Aeromorphosis" What did you do during the pandemic? Author and pilot Samuel Don Smith used the lockdown to write more than 400 pages of personal stories, aviation history, and reflections on aviation safety in Aeromorphosis, a memoir of his life from student pilot to U.S. Air Force fighter pilot to airline captain. Amusing, critical, and revealing, his storytelling chronicles the history of aviation, his own, and the world's.
Daedalus Flyer, the magazine of the premier fellowship of military aviators, Spring 2022
The astute reader will recognize author-and Daedalian Life Member #801-Samuel Don Smith's name, as he wrote three very good articles for our "Daedalus Flyer" magazine (one each on his experiences in the F-101, F-102, and F-106). Don, as he prefers to be called, has released "Aeromorphosis," a memoir of his varied and extensive flying. The book is subtitled: "The Evolution of American Aviation." and it is truly that as Don covers the second 50 years of American aviation with this experiences in the military, general aviation, commercial (airlines), glider, seaplane and air show flying. Not only does this master aviator discuss how aircraft have changed drastically during this period, but also how aviators have had to adapt and interact with the changes. The stories are told with Don's terrific, dry sense of humor that will keep you turning the pages, reluctant to put the book down. I liked this book so much I read it a second time. It is a keeper in my library. Great job, Don.
Dean Howard:
One person’s account, a well written and finely documented autobiography, covering the second fifty years of powered flight.
Zip Martin, UPS MD-11 Captain:
Finished reading your book... I loved it! It’s what every young aviator should read. It was no fluff just the truth. I couldn’t stop reading it !! Man you’ve done it all.
Jim “Wiley” Green, retired fighter pilot and airline pilot:
Don Smith has given us an entertaining, funny, and fact filled glance into his extraordinary life. He has accomplished more in his 70 plus years than anyone I have ever known. And he brings to life his many adventures through these pages. Although this book centers around aviation, it is told in such a way for all to enjoy. This is a single sitting kind of book -– once you start it, plan on staying where you are because you won’t put it down until you are finished!
Michael Hayes, Captain, Delta Air Lines, Lt. Col. USAF retired
Every pilot remembers the exact moment when they wanted to become a pilot. It’s the seminal moment that very few will ever achieve and is the basis for the brotherhood that all pilots feel for one another. Don Smith chronicles his journey better than anyone I've ever read. From his earliest beginnings as a scout in an abandoned airport tower watching for planes, to building flying hours by flying bodies for mortuaries, to becoming a fighter pilot, hiring on with Delta Air Lines, retiring as a B-777 check airman, going into corporate aviation and finally flying his many personal airplanes and jets. He is not just a pilot's pilot but is also an aviation romantic. He captures the dreaded uh-oh moment of fear all pilots have felt; wondering if they will crash or run out of fuel. He writes about the exhilaration of flying Mach 2 Interceptors in Iceland and intercepting Russian Bombers. Don flew in the golden age of modern aircraft. He flew the Century Series fighters in the military and transitioned to airline flying. He describes the challenges of flying the workhorse of commercial airlines; the B-737 and the elegance of the B-777. You won't be able to put Aeromorphosis down. Every story is interesting and builds on itself leading to the next story and challenge. Don writes about being the new guy in a squadron and the excitement of checking out as a fighter pilot but also as an academic and the challenges of becoming the Chairman of ALPA's and IFALPA's Human Factors and Human Performance committees at a time when the industry needed to change as highly automated cockpits were invented. He humbly discusses his role in investigating several tragic and horrible accidents leading him to become one of the inventors of CRM. He found himself in the boardroom with CEO's advocating and encouraging the airline industry to evolve from one with nutty character Captains to one with team centered CRM skills. Without a doubt Aeromorphosis is the best aviation book I've ever read.