Stinson in front of her Curtiss-Stinson Special biplane that she flew to raise funds for the Red Cross during WWI. Katherine Stinson AKA the Flying Schoolgirl (February 14, 1891 - July 8, 1977) was a pioneering American aviatrix who set flying records for distance, endurance, and aerobatic maneuvers. Stinson and her family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she and her sister, Marjorie, began giving flying instruction at her family's aviation school. In Europe during WWI, she contracted influenza, which damaged her lungs, making her susceptible to tuberculosis. In 1920, she retired from aviation. Bain News Service, 1917-19.