AirSpace Revisited: The Ninety-Nines

In 1929, there were 285 licensed women pilots (compared to over 9,000 men). After the thrilling and dangerous Women's National Air Derby in 1929, 99 of those women banded together to created an organization to support each other. The name? The Ninety-Nines. 

When we originally released this podcast in 2018, approximately 6% of all pilots in the U.S. were women. By the end of 2023, 9,071 women held pilots licenses in the U.S., or about 10% of all American pilots. Find out how the Ninety-Nines are still working to grow this number.

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In This Episode: 

  • Did you know Amelia Earhart did more than just disappear? A rockstar pilot during her life, Amelia Earhart was committed to building a community of fellow women pilots. This is episode is about that community. 
  • The community took root in the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, the first official women-only air race in the United States. The race was full of spectacular women who not only had to contend with the dangers of flight in the 1920s—but potentially sabotage. 
  • We’ll talk about sexism, 1920s style, that the pilots faced. Called “petticoat pilots, flying flappers, and Ladybird pilots” the women in the air derby convinced naysayers they could fly any aircraft (not just light feminine ones) and didn’t need a male mechanic riding copilot.
  • We’ll also talk about sexism, 20th century style, that women pilots continued to face and how the legacy of that sexism contributes to the low numbers of female pilots today. 
  • But there’s good news, the Ninety-Nines are still around and working to excite girls about flying and careers in STEM. 

Thanks to our guests in this episode: 

  • Heather Taylor, producer of the documentary Breaking Through the Clouds
  • Judy Shaw, a current member of the Ninety-Nines
  • Kylie Hernadez and Brielle Purim, girls in the Museum’s summer camp sharing their first impressions after taking their first flight in a small airplane

This episode was originally broadcast in 2018 and is host Emily Martin’s favorite episode. We’re revisiting it in the lead up to the new season of AirSpace.