Women take flight in international organization

June 3, 2005

KATE BALDWIN/For the Frontiersman

The women are bold, energetic, and flight savvy. They jump at the opportunity to share their expertise with the community. Simply ask and they will eagerly teach you how to survive if your private aircraft goes down in a remote location.

They are part of an organization called the Ninety-Nines, an international group of 6,000 licensed women pilots from more than 35 countries. Founded in 1929 by 99 female aviation leaders of the early 20th century, Amelia Earhart was their first president. The Ninety-Nines now have chapters across the globe. They strive to promote global camaraderie through flight.

In 1903, the Wright brothers successfully flew a manned motor-powered aircraft for 12 seconds. Since that moment, women have made noteworthy contributions to flying. From Blanche Scott, the first woman pilot in 1910, to Lt. Col. Eileen Marie Collins, the first woman pilot in the U.S. space shuttle program in 1995, women have continued to make great strides in the field of aviation.

Their mission, according to local chair Judy Foster, is to "support women in aviation" and to "provide the community with general aviation safety."

The 15 members of the Mat-Su Valley Alaska Ninety-Nines stay active year-round. They work closely with the Alaska chapter, based in Anchorage, to hold flight seminars and public service works projects - they recently gave a flying seminar to Girl Scouts eager to earn badges.

The Ninety-Nines have experience flying Cessna 172s, 180s, 185s, Cessna Super Cubs, Citabrias and more. At their Flying Companion seminar at the Mat-Su Covenant Church in May, 23 participants learned basic navigation skills, flight controls and survival techniques.

"The airplane is very forgiving. It wants to fly. If a pilot loses the engine, there is a certain glide distance that you can land safely with," said Foster on losing engine power in remote locations.

Foster used her flight experience to watch over a friend racing in the 1993 Iditarod. She landed at checkpoints and picked up all extra gear.

June 4 marked the Mat-Su chapter's 10th-annual FAA Pancake Breakfast at the Palmer Airport. They held a clinic for pilots to practice short field takeoff and landings. This skill is useful when pilots like to go hunting or fishing and have the need to land on a sandbar.

The Ninety-Nines provide free airmarking for Valley airports. This entails painting the name of the airport in bright 30-foot letters in a field for approaching pilots to recognize. The Wolf Lake airport is a recent beneficiary of this service.

These experienced women flyers also paint compass rose symbols on pavement so that pilots can "swing their plane's compass from time to time," according to Foster. Thrown off by metal in the plane, pilots of smaller aircrafts use the compass rose to check for accuracy. Creating one can take up to two days, as a professional surveyor must first lay out the correct pattern before it can be painted with bold colors recognizable from the air.

Also for their fly-ins, Valley Ninety-Nine members bring in anyone interested in flying to remote sites in Alaska. On Memorial Day in 2004, the women pilots' local chapter hosted a campout in McCarthy.

In 2008, the Alaska chapter, with help from Valley members, is scheduled to host the International Ninety-Nine Convention, which is expected to draw 1,000. The keynote speaker is typically a well-known female pilot. There will be various seminars on aviation safety and one on the benefits of practicing flying in Alaska, with its unique mountain ranges and high mountaineering interest.

If you are just itching to get behind the controls for the first time, there are different ways to receive a pilot's license. It is possible to acquire one by contacting UAA's ground school for flight training, or any independent outfit, such as Mustang Air in Palmer.

It takes a minimum of 40 hours of flying to receive a private pilot's license, according to Federal Aviation Regulation 61.109. "That breaks down into 20 hours of air time with a certified flight instruction and 20 hours of solo flying," said Gary Baker, owner of Mustang Air.

Also, one needs a few thousand dollars or scholarships, and the ability to pass medical and written exams to become a licensed pilot.

The Ninety-Nines give out three annual scholarships to Alaska women interested in aviation. A $1,000 award is given by the Alaska chapter to a licensed woman pilot pursuing an advanced rating or certificate in flying, or a career in aviation. In addition, two $500 scholarships are given out by the Alaska chapter and the Mat-Su chapter to student pilots.

These women fly for the love of being airborne. Today, members of this prominent organization are pilots for commercial airlines and private practices. They are teachers, technicians and often mothers.

"The best part about flying is freedom," Foster said. "I remember flying over a traffic jam on the freeway during the holiday season, looking down, and thinking, 'Wow, it's great to be up here.'"

People can visit their Web site at www.geocities.com/ak99s/officers.htm for a link to local scholarships, or contact Judy Foster at 746-0991. The deadline is June 30.