Photos by MeLinda Schnyder
The National Women’s History Alliance has established March as National Women’s History Month, with the goal of ensuring that women’s history remains visible, valued and celebrated for all generations. In honor of this year’s theme – “Moving forward together! Women educating & inspiring generations” – here are 13 destinations to find inspirational tributes to famous female aviators.
The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots for which Amelia Earhart served as the first president in 1931, moved its headquarters from New York City to Oklahoma City in 1955. The group opened The Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots at Will Rogers World Airport (KOKC) in 1999 to display its large collection of artifacts and information on women pilots. Exhibitions cover the earliest flights to today, ranging from Ninety-Nines history to Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, to space exploration. They also have dedicated exhibits on famous aviators, including Amelia; participants of the first all-female air race in 1929; Marion P. Jayne, best known for racing her airplane twice around the world in 1992 and 1994; among others. museumofwomenpilots.org
While it’s not technically a museum, you’ll get a lesson in aviation history and a great meal at LOUISE, a modern cafe honoring Louise McPhetridge Thaden, who was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 1905 and raised there. The restaurant is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily inside the Fieldhouse at Bentonville Municipal Airport (KVBT). Displays throughout the building delve into the life of the airfield and eatery’s namesake. Louise set speed and endurance records as a pilot, earning her a spot in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1936, she and co-pilot Blanche Noyes became the first women to win the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race. louise.cafe
The Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita, Kansas, displays Louise’s Wichita-built Travel Air that she flew to win the heavy class in the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, the first women-only air race in the U.S. It is on loan from The Ninety-Nines. This month, the museum plans to open a remodeled “Women of Aviation” exhibition that ranges from early pioneers to modern-day trailblazers. It will also include a new section dedicated to Latinas in aviation. Also, among about 15 indoor exhibits is one dedicated to Beechcraft. kansasaviationmuseum.org
The last known surviving Lockheed Electra 10-E, the same model Amelia was flying in 1937 when she vanished over the Pacific Ocean, is the centerpiece of the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum that opened in 2023 in Atchison, Kansas, the aviator’s hometown. One of just 14 produced, this aircraft was rescued from destruction and restored by an aviation enthusiast who named the airplane Muriel (in honor of Amelia’s younger sister). The newly constructed art deco style hangar at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport (K59) also houses a full-scale replica of Muriel’s cockpit allowing visitors to climb inside. There are 14 immersive exhibit areas combining interactive STEM and historical storytelling. Atchison has other Earhart’s attractions, including the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum. ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org and ameliaearhartmuseum.org
In Tucson, Arizona, the Pima Air & Space Museum examines women’s contributions in military, commercial and civil aviation in the main hangar’s Joyce M. Corrigan Women in Flight Gallery. The gallery’s centerpiece is a Beech Bonanza and Lear 23, both formerly owned and flown by women. pimaair.org
The EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, houses a collection of more than 200 historic airplanes along with galleries and displays. One of the museum’s current temporary exhibitions is “WASP: Women Flyers of WWII,” highlighting how more than 1,000 volunteers served their country and overcame barriers to become the first American women to fly combat aircraft. eaa.org/eaa-museum
The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, debuted a series of displays titled “Women in the Air Force: From Yesterday into Tomorrow” in 2020. The multi-part exhibit has displays in each of the museum’s buildings that contain one-of-a-kind artifacts used by women in the Air Force from many different eras. The content covers historical issues, changes in laws and attitudes and women’s contributions to the Air Force mission. nationalmuseum.af.mil
One of the 30 exhibits of vintage aircraft and warbirds on display at the Vintage Flying Museum at Meacham International Airport (KFTW) in Fort Worth, Texas, is a 1954 Beech Super 18 that was the last aircraft owned by famed pilot Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran. Beechcraft Model E18S-9700, serial number BA-31 N13JC, is being restored and visitors to the museum can see the progress inside the former WWII B-29 hangar. There are displays detailing Jackie’s accolades as a pilot and her role in the formation of the WASPs, where she oversaw training of the women tasked with flying experimental Air Force planes. Follow the volunteer-led project online (youtube.com/@HangaRatz) or donate to the effort to get the airplane airworthy in time to attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025. Restorers have dubbed the airplane the Hollywood Bomber because it was owned by entertainer Merv Griffin in the 1970s. vintageflyingmuseum.org/hollywood-bomber-twin-beech/
Among the displays on aviation innovation in Northern California and beyond at Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California, is the “Women in Aviation” exhibition recounting the stories of 29 women from different countries and ethnic backgrounds who achieved their dreams of flight. Told through words and photographs, the women’s stories span a century, from Bessie Coleman, the first African American male or female to receive a pilot license in 1921, to Martha McSally, the first American woman to fly in combat. hiller.org
Among the many attractions at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan, is the “Women in Air & Space” exhibition displayed throughout the museum’s Flight Innovation and Flight Discovery centers. There is an updated interactive timeline noting more than 100 years of contributions made by more than 50 women in the fields of aviation and space exploration, plus displays featuring pioneering females. There is also a temporary exhibit “Daughters of the Sky: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII.” airzoo.org
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum includes female pilots in nearly every gallery at its Washington, D.C., and Chantilly, Virginia, locations. If you’re not able to visit in person – or if you miss a few as you’re exploring the thousands of artifacts and displays – the Smithsonian has an excellent, though not comprehensive, online resource. See its online exhibit “Women in Aviation and Space History” at airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/women-aviation-and-space-history. Take note that the museum’s D.C. space is amid a multi-year renovation, with staggered gallery reopening dates between now and mid-2026. airandspace.si.edu
The International Women’s Air & Space Museum at Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL) in Cleveland, Ohio, collects and displays artifacts, photographs, articles, textiles, art and paper items relating to the history of women in aviation and space. Displays highlight Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, Bessie Coleman, Harriet Quimby, Katharine Wright, The Whirly Girls helicopter pilots and more. There’s also an online exhibition, “Defying the Odds: Exploring the Impact of Women and Aviation in the First Half of the Twentieth Century.” iwasm.org/wp-blog
Texas Woman’s University in Denton has several aviation collections, including Women Military Aviators, Air Race Classic, Whirly-Girls International, International Society of Women Airline Pilots, Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance and Ninety-Nines, Inc. One of the largest is the
1 million wartime and postwar items in the Women Airforce Service Pilots Official Archive. According to the university, “The Woman’s Collection is a premiere destination on the history of women in aviation. We collect and preserve the stories of women in aviation organizations as well as individual female aviators. We tell not only the story of the WASP, but how their legacy lives on today through current organizations and pilots.” Visit in person, or some of the collections are viewable online. twu.edu/library/womans-collection/collections