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good solo flight on June 1 [[strikethrough]] st [[/strikethrough]], 1912.  He continued practice and June 19th flew from Santa Ana to the Griffith Park Aviation Field carrying Mrs. Smith as a passenger. This was a one hour flight, passing over the business section of Los Angeles.

Smith continued his practice at Griffith Park until mid-Summer, then he and Mrs. Smith left on an exhibition tour of the [[strikethrough]] middle west [[/strikethrough]] midwestern states. During August they were at Overland Park, Kansas City, Missouri flying as a Park attraction, [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethtough]] Mrs. Smith was often a passenger on his flights.  In early October they gave exhibition flights at Wellington, Kansas, then on October 10th made a 37-mile cross-country flight to Wichita, Kansas for an exhibition date there. During that period Smith also acquired a 50 [[strikethrough]]H.P.[[strikethrough]] h.p., Gyro-powered Bleriot monoplane and was flying that on some of his engagements. On November 10th he flew the monoplane from Excelsior Springs, Missouri, to Kansas City, stopping at Richmond, Missouri, enroute. In early December the Smiths were back in California for the winter.

Establishing his base at Griffith Park Smith overhauled and tuned up his Bleriot in early January, 1913, then on the 18th obtained his F.A.I. License No. 207, flying the Gyro-Bleriot. He then entered the 1913 Los Angeles Meet starting January 29th. Smith flew from Griffith Park across the city to Dominguez Field for this event where he did well in his first air meet, winning first place for altitude during the event. On February 23rd he flew from Dominguez to Griffith Park on an over-city flight. Early that summer the Smiths [[strikethrough]] returned [[/strikethrough]] went to the Midwest for exhibition work, and on July 4th he flew at Swope Park, Kansas City, Missouri. Remaining in the Missouri-Kansas area they were at Lawrence, Kansas, in November, then returned to California for the winter.

In the spring of 1914 Smith began to fly for Glenn Martin and on April 4th he flew a Martin plane at a celebration day in Pomona, California, during the official opening of a new auto speedway. Martin had arranged [[strikethrough]] a stunt [[/strikethrough]] to bomb a mock fort and Smith flew one of the three Martin planes for that event. At that time Smith also became an instructor at the Martin Flying School.

In April Martin needed a girl parachutist to make a jump for him at ceremonies dedicating the new Los Angeles Harbor and he offered Mrs. Smith a deal to make two jumps there. He knew she wanted to learn to fly, so he offered free instruction at

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