The Ninety Nines Views

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Earhart would have been proud of the group of women pilots who belong to the Tucson chapter of The Ninety-Nines. The group participated in the annual Treasure Hunt in the Sky. The pilots and their team of two or more crew members took off Saturday morning from Tucson International, which was the first municipal airport opened in the nation. Earhart was there for the opening.

Currently, the organization has 5,230 members in thirty countries. The mission of the Ninety-Nines, aka 99s , is to promote world fellowship through flight; to provide networking and scholarship opportunities for women and aviation education in the community; and to preserve the unique history of women in aviation. The Ninety-Nines, Inc is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The organization is divided into sections that are part of geographical areas covering several states in the U.S., provinces in Canada and even countries. Chapters are the smallest grouping, falling under their geographical sections .

The Ninety-Nines' 'Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund' (AEMSF) program assists in funding flight training for both recreational and career track female pilots by awarding a scholarship for an entire pilot certificate or rating to qualified members. The AEMSF new Pilot Award helps an aviatrix finish her Private Pilot training. In addition to the AEMSF program, many individual chapters of the Ninety-Nines give their own flight scholarships to benefit local aviatrixes. Aspiring professional pilots can find career guidance and mentors in the Ninety-Nines Professional Pilot Leadership Initiative program.

Ninety-Nines members support the goals of the organization by being active in numerous aviation activities including: aviation education seminars in the community; air racing, from the Powder Puff Derby to the Palms to Pines and the Air Race Classic; airmarking by volunteering their time to paint airport names, compass rose symbols and other identifications on airports and the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA), most regional and national NIFA competitions have 99s on their panel of judges.