31 Facts About Katherine Stinson

Katherine Stinson was an American aviation pioneer who, in 1912, became the fourth woman in the United States to earn the FAI pilot certificate.

Katherine Stinson set flying records for aerobatic maneuvers, distance, and endurance.

Katherine Stinson was the first female pilot employed by the US Postal Service and the first civilian pilot to fly the mail in Canada.

Katherine Stinson was one of the first pilots to ever fly at night and the first female pilot to fly in Canada, Japan, and China.

Katherine Stinson was the first woman to fly over London, England.

Emma moved the family to Jackson, Mississippi, where Katherine Stinson attended high school.

Katherine Stinson excelled at music and dreamed of being a concert pianist.

Katherine Stinson learned to drive the family flivver at the age of 14.

Smitten by the flying bug, Katherine Stinson sold her piano to help pay for flying lessons.

Katherine Stinson went to St Louis to take flight lessons from Tony Jannus, who allowed her to fly only as a passenger.

Katherine Stinson then took flying lessons from the well-known aviator Max Lillie, a pilot for the Wright Brothers, who initially refused to teach her because she was female.

However, Katherine Stinson was able to solo the Wright Model B, after only four hours of instruction, on July 13,1912, at Cicero Field.

Katherine Stinson was the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's certificate, which she earned on July 24,1912, at the age of 21.

Katherine Stinson then carried the first airmail at the Helena State Fair, flew at the Illinois State Fair, then El Paso, Helena, Arkansas, New Orleans, and Beaumont, Texas.

Katherine Stinson then received permission to use the airplane sheds at Fort Sam Houston.

Katherine Stinson believed the San Antonio, Texas area had an ideal flying climate.

Emma managed the school, Katherine Stinson financed it, Eddie worked as a mechanic, and Marjorie flight instructed.

In March 1915, the famous barnstormer Lincoln Beachey died in a crash into San Francisco Bay, and Katherine Stinson acquired the rotary engine from his wrecked plane, rebuilt it, and used it in her plane.

Katherine Stinson became one of the first pilots to ever fly at night.

In 1917, Katherine Stinson made a six-month tour of China and Japan, becoming the first female to fly in Asia.

On December 11,1917, Katherine Stinson flew 610 miles from San Diego to San Francisco, setting a new American non-stop distance record.

Katherine Stinson was allowed to fly a Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" and a Curtiss Katherine Stinson-Special for fundraising for the American Red Cross.

In 1918, Katherine Stinson approached Benjamin Lipsner, superintendent of the Post Office Department airmail operations, about undertaking a long-distance mail service flight from Chicago to New York City as a publicity stunt.

Katherine Stinson encountered strong headwinds on the flight and flew non-stop from Chicago to Binghamton, New York, where she had to stop for fuel.

Katherine Stinson then flew from Binghamton to New York City, completing the mail route.

Katherine Stinson was hired and assigned to the New York City-Philadelphia route.

Katherine Stinson showed her the landmarks, emergency landing fields, and other pertinent tips for the route.

Katherine Stinson then left for Paris to be an ambulance driver for the Red Cross during WWI, ending her aviation career.

In 1927, Katherine Stinson married ex-army aviator Miguel Antonio Otero Jr.

Katherine Stinson worked as an award winning architect and Pueblo-style home designer for years in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Katherine Stinson designed a house for Mary Colter, the famed Southwestern architect; one for Hazel Hyde, founder of The Town School in Manhattan, NYC, who retired to Santa Fe; one for Dorothy McKibbin, "gatekeeper" of the Los Alamos atomic bomb project; one for Dr Frank Mera, director of Sunmount Sanitarium; and for a few other notable Southwesterners.