Hi Aviator Barbie!

In 1929, women pilots from all over the US were invited to meet in New York to form an interdisciplinary organization with the overarching goal of empowering women. Ninety-nine of the invited women became charter members inspiring the name “Ninety-Nines (99s)”. It consisted of several important aviation figures such as Amelia Earheart, who was the first president of the group!?

Since its formation, the 99s has grown to encompass 17 countries with even more local/regional Chapters.? Their chapter local to Williamsburg is the Hampton Roads 99s (HR99s) which has led several major aviation events in the eastern peninsula. The most recent event was held at the Military Aviation Museum where girls aged 8+ were invited to go on free airplane rides with members of the 99s. This was just one of the many empowering events run by the HR99s!?

“[Of the Military Aviation Museum event]...113 girls and women experience[d] the joy of aviation!! It's especially noteworthy that for the first time, we had more female pilots than male pilots; you go, girls! ... Every one of you made valuable contributions to the success of our event.”?

• Linda Mathias, founding member of the Hampton Roads 99s Chapter?

Don’t think we forgot the men though! If you’re a man and want to support female pilots, there is a branch titled, Friends of The 99s. This branch is made up of people, male and female of all ages, who believe in the 99s mission, but are not members. They’re able to attend the 99s International Conference, seminars, banquets, and tours. Additionally, they fundraise for the 99s to be able to inspire women to pursue aviation. Apply to join here.?

The 99s also practice airmarking (painted markings pointing toward an airport), a tradition started by women. These markings helped pilots identify their location back when there were few airlines and no radios. The 99s continue this tradition by volunteering to paint these giant compasses on an as-needed basis. The markings include the airports' names, compasses, and airport identifiers. At JGG we've had one of these airmarkings done by the HR99s, who had extra volunteers from the EAA156 and our tenants!

At JGG we are passionate about empowering people through STEAM education! One way that the 99s align with this is through their Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund (AEMSF),?the main scholarship arm of the 99s. Since 1941, the AEMSF has awarded 800+ scholarships and 300+ awards to student pilots working toward their first certificate. The amount awarded for these scholarships, including Research Scholar Grants and Fly Now/First Wings Awards exceeds $12 Million!

Interested in joining the 99s? Look no further for the 99s application, and if you have additional questions feel free to comment down below.

What’s next: Have you heard the buzz? WASP pays for junior and senior level high school students to earn 40 hours of ground school, 50 hours of flight instruction, the FAA knowledge exam fee - wait there’s more - the check ride fee with an FAA examiner, AND flight school books and materials. Learn more in our next article.?

Thanks for reading!

Williamsburg Jamestown Airport

Contact the Hampton Roads 99s here: [email protected]?

#99s #womeninaviation #hr99s #hamptonroads99s #aviation history #FAA

Citations

• 99s history from their website: https://www.ninety-nines.org/our-history.htm?
• 99s history from pioneers of flight: https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/founding-ninety-nines?
• Hampton roads 99s web: https://www.facebook.com/HR99s/?
• Scholarship info: https://www.ninety-nines.org/scholarships.htm?
• Airmarking info: https://www.ninety-nines.org/air-marking.htm
• WASP stats:https://www.google.com/url?q=https://designrr.page/?id%3D302127%26token%3D3832844059%26type%3DFP%26h%3D2410&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1694989041124961&usg=AOvVaw170cQiVW4vCfh8G2npAnCc?