Browse all Women in Aviation

Whirly-Girls, Int.
The Whirly-Girls International is a diverse association of women helicopter pilots established in 1955 and is affiliated with the Helicopter Association International. It provides a support network for women pilots and an exchange of information about rotary wing aircraft. Texas Woman’s University is the official archive for this group.

Women Military Aviators (WMA)
WMA is an organization of female military aviators originally established in 1978. The organization is dedicated to promoting and preserving the role of female pilots, navigators, and aircrew members. Texas Woman’s University is the official archive for this group.

Ninety-Nines, Inc.
Established in 1929, the Ninety-Nines, Inc. is an organization of licensed women pilots. The group was named for the original ninety-nine charter members, which included Amelia Earhart, the group’s first president. The organization’s official museum and archive is located in Oklahoma City. TWU has some records for area chapters.

Mercury 13
The Mercury 13 were a group of women aviators that in 1961 underwent and passed the same physical and psychological exams that were given to the Mercury 7 male astronauts. None of the women were ever selected for a space mission. However, they proved they were capable of meeting the same strenuous criteria as the men.

British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA)
During World War II, American men and women pilots along with pilots from all over the world joined the British Air Transport Auxiliary to help with the Allied cause. The ATA was responsible for ferrying airplanes for the British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and was the first to employ women to ferry military aircraft. U.S. aviator Jacqueline Cochran helped recruit 25 American women pilots for the ATA and used it as a model for the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program set up in the U.S.

Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM)
AWAM is a non-profit organization incorporated February 1997 from a group within Women In Aviation, International, to specifically support women in the field of aviation maintenance. Members include avionics technicians, engineers, scientists, and educators.