Episode Transcript
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SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
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SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN AIR AND SPACE NUMBER 2
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United States Women in Aviation through World War One
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by Claudia M Oakes
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Aerial Photography from Photations Visit Photations.com and www.PhotationsStore.com for more fine art photography
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Help support this series by visiting PhotationsDonations.com
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Marjorie Stinson
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Katherine’s younger sister, Marjorie, encouraged by her sister’s success, decided to learn to fly herself
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She went to the Wright School in Dayton to begin instruction in June 1914, but because she was only 18, Orville Wright would not accept her as a pupil until her mother had wired permission for her to take lessons She first soloed on 4 August in a Wright model B and received her license on 12 August
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In May 1915 Marjorie tried to start an air mail route between San Antonio and Seguin, Texas Arrangements had been made with the postmasters of these two cities, which were 35 miles apart, and authorization had been obtained from the assistant postmaster general
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Marjorie was sworn in by George Armistead, postmaster of San Antonio, and was scheduled to make several flights between 19 May and 31 May However, the venture was not successful
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Toward the end of 1915 the Stinsons established their flying school
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The school was unique because it was operated by three women: Marjorie and Katherine were instructors, and their mother Emma was business manager Their brother Edward was chief mechanic
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Walter L Brock, a famous British aircraft builder who had joined the Stinsons supervised the building of a Caudrontype tractor biplane with a 50 hp Gnome engine to supplement the Stinsons’ three Wright aircraft
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Marjorie’s first pupil was Joseph Gorman, a young Canadian He had never made an airplane flight before, but he graduated in two weeks, and immediately left for England where he became a flight lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps
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Also in 1915, Marjorie was inducted into the U S
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Aviation Reserve Corps Not only was she the only woman in the Corps, but she was the youngest licensed pilot in the United States
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Majorie and Edward took time out from the school to join Katherine in Chicago in July 1916, making several exhibition flights
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Majorie and Katherine were the guests of honor at the Chicago Advertising Association’s Aviation Day banquet
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That fall Marjorie returned to San Antonio to devote herself full time to the flying school As World War One escalated, the Royal Canadian Flying Corps began sending their cadets to Marjorie for training
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She quickly won the respect of her pupils, and there was never any question as to who was in charge in the air Marjorie became known as 'The Flying Schoolmarm' and her students as 'The Texas Escadrille
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' Majorie also made exhibition flights and carried passengers to entertain troops stationed at Ft Sam Houston
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At the end of 1918 the school closed, and Marjorie became a draftsman with the Aeronautical Division of the U S
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Navy in Washington, D C
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She also did some exhibition flying for the Liberty Loan drive
