The Ninety-Nines

The Ninety-Nines, formally known as The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, is an international nonprofit association founded in 1929 to promote mutual support and advancement among women in aviation. It was created during a period when women pilots were still a small and highly dispersed minority in a rapidly developing aviation industry. After the United States Women's Air Derby, women aviators began discussing the need for a dedicated organization that could provide professional fellowship, practical assistance, educational opportunities, and a collective voice. Twenty-six licensed women pilots established the organization at Curtiss Field near Valley Stream, New York, on November 2, 1929. Its name was later selected from the 99 women pilots who had responded to invitations to join the new association. Amelia Earhart, one of the most prominent aviators of the era, helped shape the name and was elected the organization's first president in 1931. The organization serves recreational pilots, student pilots, flight instructors, professional aviators, and women pursuing aviation-related technical or academic careers. Its work combines networking and mentoring with direct assistance. The Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund supports members pursuing private pilot certificates, advanced flight training, technical training, or academic study. Its First Wings award is designed to help student pilots progress toward private-pilot certification, while the Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative provides career guidance and mentorship for aspiring or newly qualified commercial pilots. Local chapters may also offer their own scholarships and educational activities. The Ninety-Nines operates through a geographical structure of international sections and local chapters. The organization has included chapters across the United States and Canada as well as sections and members in other regions of the world. A virtual chapter, Ambassador 99s, provides an online community for members who move frequently, travel extensively, or cannot participate consistently in a local geographical chapter. Around 2022, the organization was reported to have 153 chapters and 27 regional sections; an earlier organizational description reported more than 5,000 members in 30 countries. These figures may change as membership and chapter structures develop. Beyond membership services, The Ninety-Nines promotes public aviation education and participates in flying activities such as air racing, airport airmarking, aviation seminars, and judging at National Intercollegiate Flying Association competitions. Members have supported races and events including the Powder Puff Derby, the Palms to Pines Air Race, and the Air Race Classic. Airmarking projects involve painting airport names, compass roses, and other navigational or identification markings, helping preserve and improve local aviation infrastructure. The organization also acts as a custodian of women's aviation heritage. It owns and maintains the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas, the National Register-listed childhood home of Amelia Earhart. In Oklahoma City, its international headquarters at Will Rogers World Airport houses the 99s Museum of Women Pilots, whose collections include photographs, personal objects, historical documents, video and oral histories, and other materials associated with women aviators. These institutions connect the organization's current educational mission with its role in documenting the history of women in flight. The Ninety-Nines is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization rather than a commercial consumer brand or listed corporation. Its positioning is centered on inclusion, professional development, peer fellowship, preservation of aviation history, and practical pathways into flying. Its continuing relevance comes from combining a historic identity associated with Amelia Earhart and early women pilots with contemporary scholarship, mentoring, chapter-based community, and international participation.

The Ninety-Nines emerged from the expanding community of women pilots in the United States during the late 1920s. Following the United States Women's Air Derby in August 1929, a group of women aviators informally discussed the difficulties faced by women working or participating in aviation. Although licensed women pilots existed in several parts of the country, they had limited institutional support and few durable professional networks. The organizers therefore proposed a membership association dedicated to mutual assistance and the advancement of women pilots. Invitations to an organizational meeting were sent to all 117 women who held pilot licenses in the United States at the time. On November 2, 1929, 26 licensed women pilots formally established the organization at Curtiss Field near Valley Stream, New York. The group initially referred to itself in terms of support for women pilots. The name Ninety-Nines was adopted after responses from 99 women pilots had been received by Christmas. The name became a lasting reference to the organization’s founding membership and was subsequently shortened in common usage to The 99s. Amelia Earhart was closely associated with the organization from its early years. She encouraged the use of the Ninety-Nines name and was elected the first international president in 1931. Her prominence helped bring visibility to the association, but the organization’s development also depended on the work of many less-publicized members who built chapters, organized events, created scholarship programs, and preserved records of women’s participation in aviation. The group gradually developed a geographical structure of sections and chapters, allowing members to cooperate locally while remaining part of an international body. Over time, The Ninety-Nines expanded its mission beyond fellowship. Members supported aviation education, community outreach, air racing, airport improvement, and pilot training. Chapter and organizational scholarships helped women gain flight experience and pursue aviation careers. Activities such as airmarking—painting airport names, compass symbols, and other identifiers—provided a practical form of volunteer service to airports and local aviation communities. Members also participated in air races including the Powder Puff Derby, the Palms to Pines Air Race, and the Air Race Classic, while others served as judges in National Intercollegiate Flying Association competitions. The organization’s educational mission developed alongside a major historical-preservation role. Its collections and museum work document women pilots and their contribution to aviation’s technical, cultural, and institutional development. The Ninety-Nines became the owner-custodian of Amelia Earhart’s birthplace and childhood home in Atchison, Kansas. The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was restored toward its early-twentieth-century appearance and developed as the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. The group’s international headquarters at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City also became home to the 99s Museum of Women Pilots, which holds papers, photographs, artifacts, oral histories, video material, and memorabilia relating to women aviators. The organization has continued to use scholarships and mentorship to connect its historical identity with present-day pilot development. The Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund supports flight training, technical training, and academic study for qualifying members. Its First Wings award is aimed at student pilots working toward private-pilot certification, while the Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative offers career guidance to people entering or developing commercial-pilot careers. Local chapters may supplement these programs with their own awards and educational opportunities. By the early 2020s, The Ninety-Nines had developed an international network of sections and chapters, including a virtual chapter for geographically mobile members. Reported organizational figures included 153 chapters and 27 regional sections in 2022, while a 2017 description recorded 5,159 members in 30 countries. Because chapter and membership counts can change, these figures should be treated as historical snapshots rather than permanent totals. The organization remains an active 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose central activities are membership fellowship, mentoring, scholarships, public aviation education, flying participation, and preservation of women’s aviation history.

• 2022

  Reported international chapter network

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was reported to have 153 chapters and 27 regional sections, including an online virtual chapter.

• 2014

  International Air & Space Hall of Fame induction

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

• 2002

  Frank G. Brewer Trophy

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The National Aeronautic Association selected The Ninety-Nines as a recipient of the Frank G. Brewer Trophy.

• 2001

  Oklahoma Air Space Museum Hall of Fame induction

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The Ninety-Nines were inducted into the Oklahoma Air Space Museum Hall of Fame.

• 1982

  National Aviation Hall of Fame Spirit of Flight Award

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The organization received the Spirit of Flight Award from the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

• 1931

  Amelia Earhart elected first president

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  Amelia Earhart became the organization’s first president, strengthening its public profile during the formative years of women’s organized participation in aviation.

• 1929

  Organization founded

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  Twenty-six licensed women pilots founded the organization at Curtiss Field near Valley Stream, New York, after discussions prompted by the United States Women's Air Derby.

• 1929

  The Ninety-Nines name adopted

  [1]Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopted its name after 99 women pilots had responded to invitations to join the new association.

A mission-driven international aviation organization that combines women-pilot fellowship and mentoring with scholarships, public education, flying activities, and preservation of women’s aviation history.

• Scholarship program

  Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund

  The Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to eligible Ninety-Nines members pursuing flight training, technical training, or academic study. It supports both recreational and career-oriented aviation paths and is one of the organization’s principal mechanisms for turning its mission of advancement into direct educational support.

• Flight-training scholarship

  First Wings

  First Wings is a progressive scholarship award within the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund. It is intended to assist a student-pilot member in completing private-pilot training, with awards reported as reaching up to $6,000. The program is designed around a defined training milestone rather than a commercial product purchase.

• Mentoring and career development

  Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative

  This initiative provides career guidance and mentoring for aspiring professional pilots and newer commercial pilots. It extends The Ninety-Nines’ traditional peer-support model into leadership and career development, helping members navigate the transition from training into professional aviation.

• Museum and archive

  99s Museum of Women Pilots

  Located at the organization’s international headquarters at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, the museum preserves and interprets the history of women pilots. Its holdings include papers, personal objects, photographs, video and oral histories, memorabilia, and other artifacts associated with women aviators from different countries and periods.

• Historic house museum

  Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum

  The Ninety-Nines own and care for Amelia Earhart’s birthplace and early childhood home in Atchison, Kansas. The National Register-listed house has been restored toward its turn-of-the-century appearance and presents family memorabilia and material connected with Earhart’s early life.

• Airmarking projects

  Local aviation communities internationally

  Members volunteer to paint airport names, compass roses, and other identifiers on airfields, combining community service with practical support for local aviation infrastructure.

  Outcome. The projects provide visible assistance to airports and reinforce the organization’s community aviation mission.

  Source
• Women’s aviation education and outreach

  International

  Sections and chapters conduct aviation education seminars and community activities intended to broaden understanding of flying and encourage women’s participation in aviation.

  Outcome. The program supports public education and recruitment into recreational and professional aviation.

  Source
• Air-racing participation

  United States and international aviation events

  Members participate in and support air-racing activities, including events associated with the Powder Puff Derby, the Palms to Pines Air Race, and the Air Race Classic.

  Outcome. These activities sustain fellowship, flight proficiency, and the visibility of women pilots in competitive aviation.

  Source

1. 1Ninety-Ninesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Ninety-Nines official websiteninety-nines.org