The Ninety-Nines: Celebrating 96 Years of Women in Aviation

Pioneering pilots formed the organization to inspire and support future generations.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 03:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Founding members of The Ninety-Nines: Amelia Earhart (from left), Ruth Elder, and Louise Thaden. [Courtesy: The Ninety-Nines]

Key Takeaways:

The Ninety-Nines is an international organization for women pilots, founded in 1929 by participants of the first Women's National Air Derby to support, encourage, and inspire women in aviation.
Named after the 99 women who expressed interest in becoming charter members (with Amelia Earhart as its first president), the organization has grown worldwide to nearly 8,000 members across 155 chapters.
The organization offers networking, mentoring, and robust scholarship programs to assist women pilots, including student pilots, in achieving their certifications.
Key activities include outreach programs with youth groups, "airmarking" airports, and maintaining an international headquarters and museum dedicated to women pilots at Will Rogers International Airport.

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In 1929 a group of 20 women pilots took off from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California, destined for Cleveland as contestants in the first Women’s National Air Derby, dubbed the “Powder Puff Derby” by humorist Will Rogers.

During the nine-day, cross-country race, one of the common themes was that people along the route were surprised and inspired by the women flying airplanes. At the conclusion of the race, several of the women met informally in Ohio to discuss forming an organization to support, encourage, and inspire women to enter the field of aviation—the organization we now know as The Ninety-Nines.