Associations
Aircraft associations most often will specialize in a particular type of aircraft or aviation activity. Associations exist for experimental aircraft, vintage aircraft, historical aircraft, model aircraft, sport aviation and more. Various associations have been created to provide guidelines and regulations within the aviation industry. These organizations will provide interested individuals with vast amounts of information as well as providing support to members of their association. A number of associations are dedicated to a cause for example in memory of war veterans, promotion of public understanding, elevation of women in aviation maintenance, rights of deaf pilots and so on. Associations can operate either on a national and international basis.
The Ninety-Nines
The Ninety-Nines is a non-profit organization of more than 5,500 licensed women pilots from 35 countries. The Ninety-Nines first formed on November 2, 1929 at Curtiss Field on Long Island, New York when every woman pilot in America was invited to come together. In 1931, when Amelia Earhart became the group’s first president, they named themselves the Ninety-Nines in honor of the 99 charter members.
The organization’s headquarters are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the Will Rogers World Airport. Their six acre complex houses the 99s Museum of Women Pilots as well as archival records of women aviators, oral histories on video, personal collections, memorabilia and artifacts.
Several of the Ninety-Nines members are professional speakers who speak about women aviators and general aviation topics. The organization also raises funds for breast cancer research, awards scholarships, grants, and awards to qualified individuals, and provides a Pilot Careers Resource Center for members.
The programs, scholarships, and other services offered by the Ninety-Nines are designed to encourage young women to earn their pilot’s license and to offer support to women already in the aviation industry who make their living as Pilots, First Officers, and Flight Engineers. The Ninety-Nines Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative provides one-on-one mentoring for women who are pursuing careers as professional pilots.
Ninety-Nines members often participate in regional conferences, aviation seminars, fly-ins, air races, and rallies. They also provide aviation education clinics for commercial airline passengers, teachers, flight instructor revalidation classes, and offer tours of airports for schoolchildren.