Warbird Information Exchange

Hi all,

I recently aquired a very neat document that was signed by Eddie Stinson, president of Stinson Aircraft Corporation.

Check out the pictures below.

Can you guys shed any light on Eddie Stinson or the contents of the letter?







Cheers,

Kyle

Just off the top of my head Eddie Stinson's sister Katherine was an early woman pilot and barnstormer. We're talking pre WW1. Eddie was her mechanic and went on to found a company that built a pretty good number of various designs right into the 1950s when they were absorbed by Piper. (The Piper PA 23 Apache was originally the Twin Stinson.)

Seems like he might have been trading cigarettes for rides? or Dromedaries?

_________________
"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

The original municapal field in San Antonio is named after the Stinson family. They had a flight school there in the teens and twentys. Ryan can add details as he works there.

Here's a start...
http://earlyaviators.com/estinsed.htm
http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/stinson_bio.html
http://dmairfield.com/people/stinson_ea/index.htm

I got my IFR rating and Commercial license at the school that had the "Stinson School of Flying" sign over the doors... pretty neat. Not a direct lineage mind you. I've often thought it would be interesting to do a "family tree" on who trained your instructor's instructor's instructors' instructor... until you got back to the early days. Might be interesting.

Ryan

_________________
Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

The official designation for Stinson Field is SSF (Stinson School of Flying).

If you are ever at Stinson Field, they have just added onto the original 1920's tower building and have some great photos of the family and ops there in the 20s. There is also a great little restaurant on the field there as well as an Aviation museum.

One of my favorite photographs shows a 1920's Stinson Field hangar with a big sign that would be unfortunate these days:

"Chief Pilot: Dick Hair"

Eddie Stinson was President of the Stinson Aircraft Company until he was killed in a crash of a Stinson around 1933. The company was then sold to E. L. Cord of Cord Automobile fame. Cord also owned the Lycoming Engine Company and used those engines in his car and his airplanes. The Stinson Company quit building airplanes in 1949 when it was sold to Piper.

_________________
President National Waco Club
Curator for the Waco Historical Society Air Museum
Writer for VINTAGE AIRPLANE, SKYWAYS, BARNSTORMERS.COM EFLYER

Cool info guys.

As to the letter I wonder what type of "camels" do you think Stinson is referring to? Did Stinson ever own real Camels? Or is referring to cigarettes?



Kyle

Cigarettes....

_________________
President National Waco Club
Curator for the Waco Historical Society Air Museum
Writer for VINTAGE AIRPLANE, SKYWAYS, BARNSTORMERS.COM EFLYER