Katherine Stinson and her purpose-built aerobatic aeroplane. Stinson (1891-1977) was a pioneering American aviator. She set flying records for distance, endurance, and aerobatic maneuvers, and taught at her family's aviation school. She was the fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's certificate, which she earned on 24 July 1912, at the age of 21, while residing in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. During exhibition flights in Canada, Stinson set Canadian distance and endurance records, and, in 1918, made the second air mail flight in Canada between Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. On December 11, 1917, Stinson flew 606 miles from San Diego to San Francisco, setting a new American non-stop distance record. |