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Marjorie Claire Stinson (July 5, 1895 – April 15, 1975) was an American aviator, airmail pilot, pilot instructor, and stunt pilot — one of the pioneering Stinson siblings of early aviation, who included older sister Katherine, and younger brothers Eddie and Jack.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

She trained at the Wright Flying School, and earned her Fédération Aéronautique Internationale license in 1914, becoming the ninth woman in the U.S. to do so. Stinson became an exhibition pilot, and later was the first female airmail pilot in the United States, flying from Seguin to San Antonio, Texas in 1915. Along with her sister Katherine, she taught at the Stinson School of Flying established by her mother. After it closed, Marjorie returned to exhibition flying and worked at the Department of the Navy, retiring in 1945. She died at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., in 1975. Stinson was a charter member of the Ninety-Nines.^[5]^[6]

Career

Early career

Following in the footsteps of her sister, Katherine, Marjorie Stinson learned to fly in June 1914 at the Wright School in Dayton. With instruction from Howard Rinehart, she was able to solo after 4.5 hours. She was the ninth woman in the U.S. to receive an FAI certificate.^[7] After being unsuccessful in starting an airmail route in Texas, she joined the family flight school at the Stinson Municipal Airport, where she was an instructor like her sister. In 1915 she was the only woman admitted into the US Aviation Reserve Corps. In 1916 the Royal Canadian Flying Corps began sending their cadets to the Stinson School for their training, where she was referred to as "The Flying Schoolmarm" and her students as "The Texas Escadrille"^[1]^[2]^[3]^[8] By war's end, hundreds of military pilots had trained at the family's school.^[1]

Stunt pilot

From 1917 to 1928 Marjorie was a very successful stunt show pilot performing at events like:

July 3, 1915, Marjorie made two flights in Bogalusa, Louisiana, one at 10:30 and one at 4:30
August 29, 1914, Marjorie and her sister Katherine carried the yellow "votes for Women" banner in their Wright Biplane at the suffrage field day in Chicago, they abandoned their exhibition tour to take part in the suffragette field and thus raise $50,000 for six suffragette "campaign states"
June 23, 1919, a Campaign for $10,000,000 for a Victory Memorial Building in Washington, Marjorie flew across Washington to help advertise their campaign
April 21, Marjorie flew a small Curtis Plane between Bolling Field and Potomac park in Washington and upon landing sold $3000 worth of bonds for Victory Liberty Loans

Legacy

Death

When Marjorie died in 1975 on April 15 she was cremated and her ashes spread across the Stinson Airfield.

Stinson Airfield

After being established 1915 by the Stinson Family, the Stinson Municipal Airport is the second oldest general aviation airport. It holds the home of the Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter and was used as a training base for the United States Army Air Forces during World War 2.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Longyard, William H.: Who's Who in Aviation History: 500 Biographies, 1994, Airlife, Shewsbury, England, pp.177-178; ISBN 1-85310-272-5
^ ^a ^b Schamburger, Page and Joe Christy: Command the Horizon: A Pictorial History of Aviation, 1968, A.S. Barnes, New York; Thomas Yoseloff, London; LOC 68-11541
^ ^a ^b Carson, Annette: Flight Fantastic: The Illustrated History of Aerobatics, 1986, Foulis/Haynes, Sparkford, England / Newbury Park, California; LOC 86-80522; ISBN 0-85429-490-2
^ "The Stinson Family Papers," San Diego Air and Space Museum, retrieved May 8, 2024
^ Crane, Pamela (July 9, 1975). "Marjorie Stinson comes home" (PDF). The 99 News. 2 (9): 7.
^ "Marjorie Stinson Is Dead at 79". New York Times. April 16, 1975.
^ Underwood, John (1976). The Stinsons. Glendale: Heritage Press. p. 7. ISBN 0911834060.
^ "Women in Aviation and Space History - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-26.