Museum President Details Exhibits Featuring Women’s Aviation Accomplishments

On November 2nd, 1929, 117 American female pilots gathered at Curtiss Field in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York; their goal was simple:  to create an organization dedicated to the advancement of aviation.  Three years later, Amelia Earhart became the first president of the “Ninety-Nines, Inc.,” named for the 99 charter members of the first organization composed entirely of licensed female pilots.  Today, the Ninety-Nines has over 5,500 members throughout the world.

In 1976, as charter members slowly passed away, the Ninety-Nines struggled to find a home for their history; in an effort to preserve the accounts of women in aviation and space, the organization started a committee; ten years later, in March of 1986, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum opened its doors for the first time.  Today, the museum continues to grow and expand from its location at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dedicated to sharing the contributions by women in aviation, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum features both historical and current exhibits; displays include such prominent historical figures as Madame Blanchard, Napoleon’s Chief Air Minister of Ballooning, Katherine Wright, famed sister of the Wright Brothers, and founding Ninety-Nine member, Amelia Earhart.

 In addition, the museum honors more recent female contributors to aerospace and aviation including Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to orbit the earth, and Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space.  On April 24th, 2010, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum will premiere its newest exhibit featuring the achievements of 100 Ohio women who have contributed to the advancement of aerospace and aviation.

FMI: www.iwasm.org, www.ninety-nines.org, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews