Ninety-Nines members at the National Air Races in Los Angeles, 1933 (note Amelia Earhart first row, far left). Genevieve Haugen papers (Collection 1967). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

In October 1929, a letter was sent to all 117 licensed women pilots in the United States that read:

“On talking it over among ourselves and the other pilots whom we already know personally, it seems that the women pilots in this country should have some sort of an organization… It need not be a tremendously official sort of an organization, just a way to get acquainted, to discuss the prospects for women pilots from both a sports and breadwinning point of view, and to tip each other off on what's going on in the industry.”

From this mailer’s informal aspirations and its 99 affirmative responses, the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots was born.

Members of the Northern California Bay Cities 99s, 1935. [Photograph album of women pilots in the western United States in the 1930s]. Part of the Photograph Album Collection (Collection 94) in Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Though small in numbers (no more than 500 by the beginning of World War II), the ‘aviatrix’ was a popular figure in the 1920s and 1930s. Airwomen flew solo over oceans, raced across continents, attempted and broke altitude and speed records, and performed stunts through numerous magazine and newspaper articles, and even across film screens. Their image was one of freedom and daring, and the act of flying itself was seen by many as an equalizer that could neutralize gender. Yet for all the glorification of women pilots in early twentieth century popular culture, they still faced a variety of discrimination, both overt and subtle.

Genevieve Haugen wrote a regular “Doings of the Ninety-Nines” column for The Pilot magazine in the 1930s. Genevieve Haugen papers (Collection 1967). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

The Ninety-Nines also served a social function, and chapters routinely organized parties, performances, and flying excursions. Though the group was not always revolutionary– mounting fashion shows and printing recipes in their newsletters, for example—the ongoing informal support they created doubtless helped to fortify women aviators against the often subtle forms of sexism they regularly encountered. The press referred to them as “girl flyers,” “petticoat pilots,” and “sweethearts of the air.” The first National Women’s Air Derby, in August, 1929, in which 20 pilots made the arduous cross-country trek from Los Angeles to Cleveland was dubbed the “Powder Puff Derby” by the media.

[Photograph album of women pilots in the western United States in the 1930s], Part of the Photograph Album Collection (Collection 94) in Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

An emphasis on appearance often pressured these unconventional women to look feminine in public, to appear fresh and ladylike even after a long, grueling flight. Historian Susan Ware points out that even the tomboyish Amelia Earhart often wore pearls in photographs and sound-barrier breaker Jacqueline Cochran always “took time to powder her nose and put on lipstick before meeting the press.” Photographs of Ninety-Nines members indeed show many wearing more traditionally feminine clothing, but they also show airwomen feeling free to don the classic masculine “ace” outfit of jodhpurs, boots, and leather jacket, with some even sporting ties.

Today the Ninety-Nines has grown to over 160 chapters worldwide, and has helped to inspire the creation of several women’s aviation organizations over the years including the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) during World War II, the Whirly Girls International Women Helicopter Pilots (founded 1955) and Women in Aviation International (founded 1990). These groups provide education, networking opportunities, scholarships, support and encouragement to current and aspiring airwomen, which is still much needed: as of December 2015, women comprised only 6.6 % of pilots in the United States.

Hilda Jarmuth and Gladys O’Donnell (background) at the National Air Races, 1933. [Photograph album of women pilots in the western United States in the 1930s], Part of the Photograph Album Collection (Collection 94) in Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Ruth Marshall Rueckert, charter member and first chapter chair of the Bay Cities 99s. [Photograph album of women pilots in the western United States in the 1930s], Part of the Photograph Album Collection (Collection 94) in Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Genevieve Haugen with Ruth Elder, first woman to attempt to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Genevieve Haugen papers (Collection 1967). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Archival Resources for History of Women in Aviation

UCLA Library Special Collections
Genevieve Haugen papers (Collection 1967). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
[Photograph album of women pilots in the western United States in the 1930s], Part of the Photograph Album Collection (Collection 94) in Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. 
Elizabeth Hiatt Gregory collection of material about American Aviation (Collection 313). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart Papers (A-129). Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
The George Palmer Putnam collection of Amelia Earhart papers. Karnes Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, West Lafayette, Ind. 

Other Resources
Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives at Purdue University Libraries
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution 
International Women’s Air & Space Museum
San Diego Air & Space Museum and Flickr page: Women of Aviation
Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots Headquarters and Museum of Women Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) archive at Texas Woman's Universtiy

Sources

Boase, Wendy. The Sky’s the Limit: Women Pioneers in Aviation. New York: Macmillan, 1979.

Corn, Joseph. “Making Flying ‘Thinkable:’ Women Pilots and the Selling of Aviation,” The Winged Gospel: America’s Romance with Aviation, 1900-1950. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

Gray, Katherine. “Flying in Formation: Creating a Place for Women in Aviation through the Ninety-Nines, the Women Air Force Service Pilots, and the Whirly-Girls.” Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. Miami University, 2007. 

Jaros, Dean. Heroes without Legacy: American Airwomen, 1912-1944. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, c1993.

Maksel, Rebecca. “Why Are There So Few Female Pilots?” Air & Space, posted February 6, 2015.

Ware, Susan. Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

Ninety-Nines website

Bay Cities 99s chapter website

Women in Aviation International website: Current Statistics of Women in Aviation Careers in U.S. 

Genevieve Haugen sporting her Ninety-Nines jacket. Genevieve Haugen papers (Collection 1967). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Melissa Haley is a Processing Archivist at UCLA Library Special Collections. She previously worked at the New York Public Library, New York University, and the New-York Historical Society.