10 Facts About Katharine Stinson

Katharine Stinson was an American aeronautical engineer and the Federal Aviation Administration's first female engineer.

When Katharine Stinson told Earhart about her flight training, Earhart encouraged her to study engineering instead, telling her that she would never make enough money as a pilot.

Katharine Stinson took Earhart's advice, and enrolled in physics classes in high school and applied to the engineering program at North Carolina State College.

Katharine Stinson instead accepted a scholarship to nearby Meredith College where she completed all 48 required credit hours in a single year.

Katharine Stinson enrolled in the engineering program the following fall as one of the few female students at the college and the only female in the engineering department.

Katharine Stinson retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1974 as Technical Assistant to the Chief of Aircraft Engineering.

Katharine Stinson served on President Lyndon Johnson's Women's Advisory Committee on Aviation from 1964 to 1970 and served as an officer in the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.

Katharine Stinson belonged to the Soroptimist Club, serving as president from 1970 to 1972.

In 1967, Katharine Stinson attended the second International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists in Cambridge, UK, and spoke about the role of aircraft in food production.

In 1997 North Carolina State University named her a distinguished alumnus and named Katharine Stinson Drive on campus in her honor.