By the Seat of My Pants is Dean SmithÕs story of his life as a flying cadet in WWI, an airmail pilot in the 1920Õs and, lastly, as the lead aviator in Admiral ByrdÕs 1928 Antarctic expedition. Told in a self-deprecating style with a matter of fact sense of humor, it is an engaging read from start to finish. Passages describe airmail runs heading West with no maps or runways available, and SmithÕs interesting take on the Byrd Expedition is a version of events not in the official records. Indeed, Smith claims his log-diary, which mysteriously went missing once the party returned stateside, was most likely stolen by Byrd himself lest it conflict with his narrative of the expedition.