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the goal of ensuring that women’s history remains visible, valued and celebrated for all generations. In
The National Women’s History Alliance has established March as National Women’s History Month, with
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
MARCH 2025 KING AIR MAGAZINE •
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