The true story of Canadian bush pilot Don "Smokey" Patry is a succession of brave take-offs, daring landings, and high intensity turbulence every minute in-between.

Whether performing an emergency landing in darkness in Canada’s northern wilderness, rebuilding his plane’s engine with a rusty file, or zigzagging a bomber plane across the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, there was never a dull moment in Patry’s career.

Smoke in the Cockpit is Canadian aviation history at its best. Patry, raised in Western Canada,...