Katherine Stinson 1917: Sky Queen’s Record Flight

Soar with Katherine Stinson, the trailblazing aviatrix, in this silent 1917 footage from San Francisco, capturing her record-breaking flight from San Diego on December 11. Averaging 66 mph over 606 miles in 9 hours and 10 minutes, she shattered the American non-stop distance record in her Curtiss-Stinson Special, landing at the Presidio to roaring crowds. The reel shines with close-ups of Stinson—smiling, inspecting her biplane—and various angles of the sleek machine that conquered the Tehachapi Mountains at 8,000 feet. A reception honors her Asian feats, likely nodding to the diamond pin from China’s President Li Yuan-hung for her 1916 Peking loops. A black-and-white gem for history buffs, aviation enthusiasts, and Stinson fans, it’s a fleeting portrait of the “Flying Schoolgirl” at her peak.