Nursing homes around the country are filled with people in their eighties who can no longer take care of themselves. Their minds have gone, or they’ve lost their mobility, or just need a hand. In general, we aren’t surprised because society associates old age with frailty.
Cary’s Frank H. Smith, on the other hand, is not a man who acts his age. The eighty-seven year retired engineer cheated death Saturday when he made an emergency landing on Highway 1 in his plane. A plane that he built himself, no less.
In a situation where a lot of pilots would’ve soiled themselves, Smith was downright nonchalant. “When the engine blows, you’ve got to put it down someplace,” he said. “Highway 1 was the best I could do. I lucked out.”
At an age when others are pushing walkers, Smith was pushing his plane onto a trailer. Yes, pushing the plane! It looked like he was putting some muscle into it, too.
If you want to know what it means to live right, talk to Frank Smith!