Katherine Stinson, one of America's first female stunt pilots, was inspired to compete against him by this feat, and the competition between her, Smith, and other men received widespread press coverage.

[2] On March 14, 1915, fellow aviator Lincoln Beachey, who was the official stunt flyer at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, died after crashing into the bay.

Art Smith (who was racing his "Baby Cars" at the fair) was hired to take Beachey's place and flew his airplane for spectators for the duration of the exposition.

[4][5][6] Smith later worked as a test pilot and instructor after the American entry into World War I; he had originally sought to enroll in the United States Army's Air Service, but was refused.

[6] After the war, he joined the United States Post Office; he eventually came to fly the overnight airmail delivery route between New York City and Chicago, established in July 1925.