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Born in Fort Payne, Alabama, Katherine Stinson (1891-1977) was the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot’s certification. Aspiring to become a professional pianist, she learned to fly as a means to earn money for her music education. She first flew in 1911 and was licensed in 1912 at the age of twenty-one. Referred to as the “Flying School Girl,” Stinson quickly became a star attraction at air meets and exhibitions. In 1913, she incorporated the Stinson Aviation Company with her mother Emma (c. 1870–1940). By 1915, the company had evolved to include Stinson Municipal Airport and the Stinson School of Flying in San Antonio, Texas, and also employed her sister Marjorie (1895–1975) and brother Edward (1893–1932). Stinson became the first woman in the United States to perform an aerial loop and continued to perform the stunt hundreds of times without a mishap. In 1917, she was the first woman to fly in Asia when she traveled on a six-month airplane-flying exhibition tour of China and Japan. She was also the first woman to fly mail for the U.S. Postal Service. She petitioned to fly for the military during World War I but was denied due to her gender. Instead, she joined the ambulance service for the Red Cross in Europe, where she contracted tuberculosis. After the war, she moved to New Mexico to help in the treatment of her disease. Stinson continued to support the advancement of aviation and the celebration of its history throughout her life. “Going the Distance: Endurance Aircraft Engines and Propellers of the 1910s and 20s” is on display, pre-security in the Aviation Museum and Library and online at: https://bit.ly/EnduranceEngines
This image was posted on March 28, 2023.