Katherine Stinson Securing Magnesium Flares to Her Laird Biplane at the Tri-State Fair, October 1916

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Artifact Overview

Attracted by the high fees paid to stunt pilots, Katherine Stinson earned her pilot's license in 1912 as a way to finance music lessons. Flight quickly replaced music as her passion and Stinson became one of the most skilled pilots of her era. She became the first woman to skywrite at night, using flares like this, in 1915.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Negative (Photograph)

Subject Date

October 1916

Creators

Collection Title

Katherine Stinson Photograph Collection

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

38.855.10

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 4.5 in
Width: 2.75 in

Keywords
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    Petite Katherine Stinson looked younger than her 21 years when she earned her pilot's license in 1912. The press dubbed her the "Flying Schoolgirl." But Stinson was among the best exhibition flyers of the pre-World War I era. The "tractor" mentioned in the caption is her airplane. Planes with propellers in front of their engines are called tractors, as opposed to rear-propeller pushers.
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