These two streets are named after two greats of aviation history, Joe Crosson and Floyd Smith
Joe Crosson moved to San Diego, CA in 1922 and soon became fascinated with aviation, soloing at age 20 following his training at Dutch Flats Airport, near the site of today’s Lindbergh Airport. He moved to Alaska after accepting a pilot’s position with the Fairbanks Airplane Company. He was later joined by his sister, Marvel who also completed her pilot training at Dutch Flats and was the first woman to earn a commercial pilot’s license in Alaska. She worked in her brother’s business and soon set an altitude record of her own. She later competed in the first Women’s Air Race, nicknamed the Powder Puff Derby by Humorist Will Rogers. Unfortunately, she died in a crash of her airplane on the second day of the event.
Joe Crosson had a distinguished career as a bush pilot, working out air routes throughout the wilderness of Alaska for his fledgling airline. He also performed a number of heroic acts such as delivering life-saving diptheria serum to isolated coastal villages in the midst of winter, in an open cockpit plane without the aid of navigation or communications gear. He also rescued downed pilots, participated in the Wilkins Polar Expedition, and made the first landing on Mt. McKinley. He became the chief Pilot for Pacific Alaska Airways that was later absorbed into Pan Am Airlines. He passed away from a heart attack at age 49.
Floyd Smith, along with his wife, Hilder, were trapeze artists before becoming interested in aviation and built their own airplane in 1912. He became interested in parachutes after having survived a near-fatal airplane accident while working as a test pilot. When his wife was nearly killed by a static line parachute of the day, Smith realized that a safer method was to carry the chute on his back and open it manually when clear of the plane.
In July 1918, he filed a patent for his parachute that used a ripcord that allowed the canopy to be deployed manually. He established the Floyd Smith Aerial Equipment Co. in San Diego. The US Army took notice of his parachute and was selected as the standard for Army pilots in WWI. His parachute design allowed airmen to escape from planes in spins, dives and inverted positions. His design set the standard for decades to come, saving countless lives through WWII. He passed away in 1956 in San Diego at the age of 71. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022.