OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture focus on Wednesday was on women and aviation.
For the past 11 years, EAA has continued to steer women toward aviation careers through events like the annual WomenVenture.
Less than seven percent of all active pilots in the country were women, and that’s actually up from previous years.
Two female pilots on EAA grounds are helping increase that number even more.
A group of pilots in their own right, The Ninety-Nines, fittingly founded by Amelia Earhart in the late 1920s, knows what it’s like to want to be a woman in aviation.
The organization that started out with just 99 members is now made up of thousands of licensed female pilots from several countries.
The group’s international president, Jan McKenzie, tells FOX 11 flying started off as just a hobby.
“Really, it’s no longer a hobby, it is an absolute passion! I think most of us – the 5,500 of women pilots around the world – this is our passion, and it’s really what we love to do.”
These women are pilots who teach, pilots who fly for pleasure and pilots who are technicians and mechanics. But first, they are women who love to fly!
The goal of The Ninety-Nines is to get more girls and women up in the sky to soar with them.
To accomplish that, McKenzie says the non-profit organization provides scholarships to women who want to learn to fly and programs like the Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative.
“That is a group of airline pilots that are our members that mentor the younger women that are wanting to become pilots.”
Another group, Women in Aviation, wants to see more females in this field, as well…and not just as pilots.
Kelly Murphy is Dir. of Communications for Women in Aviation….
“Really, our hope is, and really our mission is to get more girls involved in aviation. Whether they want to be a pilot, or an aircraft technician, or an airport manager, there are lots of jobs available, and it’s a great career for the future.”
Women in Aviation also offers scholarships and mentor programs for girls and young women interested in going into aviation.
The two groups may differ slightly, but both believe when it comes to women and aviation, the sky is the limit!
