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At that time the Stinsons needed another plane so Katherine rented an acrobatic-type tractor biplane from E. M. Laird. [[strikethrough]] for her exhibition work. [[/strikethrough]] With this plane she sailed from San Francisco in December, 1916, for an exhibition-flight tour of Japan and China. In January, 1917, she was the "heroine" of Japan where immense crowds saw her fly. She remained in Japan until [[strikethrough]] into [[/strikethrough]] mid-February, then went to China until [[strikethrough]] into [[/strikethrough]] late March when she went back to Japan, and returned to the United States on May 26th. The plane she used is now in the Ford Museum at Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan.

Katherine was guest of honor at an Aero Club of Illinois banquet in Chicago June 15th. Reportedly at that time she tried to enlist for military aviation service but was turned down, although she was given an active role in American Red Cross and Liberty Loan Drive projects. As a result she made some preliminary check flights in Curtiss JN [[strikethrough]] type [[/strikethrough]] planes at Buffalo, New York; then on June 25th started a series of flights under the auspices of and to aid these Drives.

Leaving Buffalo, New York, in a new Curtiss JN tractor biplane, she flew to and made stops at Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, where she spent the night. The following morning she flew to Governors Island, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., where she landed on the Polo Grounds near the Washington Monument. The total distance was 670 miles, her longest overland flight at that time. In Washington she was received by Secretary William McAdoo and Red Cross representatives. During World War I she assisted as an instructor whenever possible at the Stinson School in Texas, training pilots for the United States and Canadian Governments. December 11th she established a new non-stop woman's cross-country record by flying a Curtiss [[strikethrough]] machine [[/strikethrough]] airplane from North Island, San Diego, [[strikethrough]] California [[/strikethrough]] to the Presidio at San Francisco. For this notable flight she was awarded a medal by the Pacific Aero Club. On the flight she crossed over the Tehachapi Mountains at an altitude in excess of 9,000 feet. The distance was 610 miles and this surpassed Ruth Law's former record of 512 miles. This was also a new duration record for woman pilots in the United States.

In early May, 1918, Katherine was sworn in as an authorized United States air

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