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.
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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 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 ...
.[
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
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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
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{{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