Our Organization

The organization came into being November 2, 1929, at Curtiss Field, Valley Stream, Long Island, New York. All 117 American female pilots had been invited to assemble for mutual support and the advancement of aviation. Louise Thaden was elected secretary and worked tirelessly to keep the group together as we struggled to organize and grow until 1931, when Amelia Earhart was elected as first president and the group was named for the 99 charter members.

Today Ninety-Nines are professional pilots for airlines, industry and government; we are pilots who teach and pilots who fly for pleasure; we are pilots who are technicians and mechanics. But first and foremost, we are women who love to fly!

Our Headquarters, located in a two story building complex on six acres at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is home to our large archival records, video oral histories, personal artifacts, collections and memorabilia, and biographical files on thousands of women pilots from around the world. This is also the site of our 99s Museum of Women Pilots.

The Ninety-Nines, Inc., is an international organization of licensed women pilots from 35 countries – we currently have over 5,500 members throughout the world. We are a non-profit, charitable membership corporation holding 501(c)(3) U.S. tax status. Our International Headquarters is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Although there are other female pilot organizations in various states and nations, virtually all women of achievement in aviation have been or are members of The Ninety-Nines.