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The Flying Stinsons
The Stinsons Flight # 2 is named after a family of outstanding aviation pioneers in San Antonio. The four flying Stinsons--two brothers and two sisters--Katherine,
Eddie, Marjorie, and Jack--are all enshrined in the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.
 Alabama native Katherine Stinson (1891 - 1977), hoping to win prize money to finance her musical education, convinced famed flight instructor Max Lillie of
Chicago to take her on as a student in 1912. She became the fourth licensed woman pilot in the United States and the youngest female pilot in 1914.
Siblings Marjorie and Eddie trained at the Wright Flying School in Ohio and also became pilots.
In 1913, Max Lillie encouraged the Stinsons to move to San Antonio where the Army had granted him permission to use the parade ground at Fort Sam Houston
for flying operations. Soon Katherine and Marjorie were offering flight instruction to American and Canadian military pilots. In 1916, the family leased
500 acres from the city and established Stinson Field, which has witnessed the history of aviation from barnstormers to jets. 
After the ban on civilian flights during World War I, Stinson Field became the city's civil airport in 1918. Charles Lindbergh kept an airplane and
flew out of Stinson while he was stationed at Brooks Field. In the 1930's, commercial airlines began using the airport, including the construction of a
new terminal building. During World War II, the field became an Army Air Corps training facility. Returned to civilian use after the war, Stinson Field
became the primary General Aviation airport for the city of San Antonio. Because of her strong ties to the airport and to San Antonio, when Marjorie Stinson
died in 1975 at age 79, her ashes were symbolically scattered over Stinson Field.
Photos (Top) Marjorie and Katherine Stinson (Right) Eddie Stinson
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