The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in 1920 by famed aviator Edward “Eddie†Stinson. In 1925, Stinson moved aircraft production from Dayton, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan, at the site where Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is located. Always an aviator at heart, Stinson flew as a stunt pilot, earning a staggering, at the time, $100,000 a year. Sadly, he did not live to see the success of his company. He was killed in a plane crash on January 26,1932.
One of the most popular aircraft that the Stinson Aircraft Company produced was the Model 105. The Model 105 was Stinson’s first light aircraft. Introduced in 1939, the Stinson Company was hard pressed to meet the demand for this popular aircraft. Costing $2,995, the three-seat Model 105 was a strut-braced, high-wing monoplane, powered by either a 75 hp Continental A-75 engine, or the 80 hp Continental A-80-6. The aircraft also featured such innovations as a slotted wing to improve slow speed handling, and a luxurious cabin. Many notable aviation-minded people owned one, including Hollywood stars such as Edward Bergen, James Stewart, and billionaire playboy Howard Hughes.
At the outbreak of the Second World War some Stinson 105s were commandeered for use by the military. They proved so successful that the aircraft was redesigned to become the L-5 Sentinel, the last of which were retired from active service in the U.S. Air Force in 1955.
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