Edward Anderson Stinson, Jr. (July 11, 1893 – January 26, 1932) was an American pilot and aircraft manufacturer. "Eddie" Stinson was the founder of

Stinson Aircraft Company The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s. History The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, the b ...

. At the time of his death in 1932 in an

air crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

, he was the world's most experienced pilot in flight hours, with over 16,000 hours logged.

Biography

Stinson was born on July 11, 1893 in

Fort Payne, Alabama Fort Payne is a city in and county seat of DeKalb County, in northeastern Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 14,877. European-American settlers gradually developed the settlement around the former fort. It grew rap ...

. His oldest sister,

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, was an early female aviator, and he wanted to fly as well. In September 1913, he learned to fly at the Wright School in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, from Roderick L. Wright. He then helped support the family's Stinson School of Flying, at the

Stinson Municipal Airport Stinson Municipal Airport is seven miles south of downtown San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''reliever airport''. History Stinson Municipal Airport is the s ...

, earning his FAI certificate in 1915. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served as a flight instructor for the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

at Kelly Field. In 1921, he set a world endurance record for flight, and the following year, he worked as a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

for the Stout Engineering Company, becoming the test pilot for the all-metal Stout ST-1 bomber. In 1925, Stinson led a group of Detroit investors in building a new commercial aircraft, forming the Stinson Aircraft Syndicate. The prototype SB-1 Detroiter made its first test flight on 25 January 1926, and its first public flight in early February. This would lead to a series of successful aircraft designs built by the

. Stinson moved into a large home in Dearborn, Michigan, where he lived until his death. The Kingsbury Castle is a source of history, enjoyment in Dearborn
''Dearborn Press and Guide'', L. Glenn O’Kray, Jan 10, 2017 Stinson died from injuries sustained while making an emergency landing in the prototype

Stinson Model R The Stinson Model R was an American light aircraft built by the Stinson Aircraft Company in the early 1930s. It was a single-engine high-winged monoplane, developed from the Stinson Junior. 39 units were built. Design and development In 1931, w ...

. He was making a demonstration flight from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

when the aircraft ran out of fuel over Lake Michigan. The aircraft's wing sheared off after striking a flagpole while attempting to land on a golf course. Three other passengers were injured.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stinson, Edward Anderson American aviation businesspeople Aviators from Alabama People from Fort Payne, Alabama Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Members of the Early Birds of Aviation 1893 births 1932 deaths Wright Flying School alumni Flight endurance record holders American aviation record holders