AMELIA EARHART'S MODERN-DAY HEIRS.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
``Flying is more thrilling than love for a man and far less dangerous.'' Thea Rasche Thea Rasche (August 12, 1899 – February 25, 1971) was Germany's first woman pilot. References
The year was 1929, and 99 of the 117 licensed female pilots in the United States got together to start a club after the first women's air derby at Curtiss Field on Long Island. Will Rogers dubbed it the Powder Puff Derby The Powder Puff Derby was the name given to a transcontinental air race for women pilots inaugurated in 1947. For the next two years it was named the "Jacqueline Cochran All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race" (AWTAR). , and The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times gave the meeting afterward a brief, snide mention, writing, ``The women are organizing. What for, we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. .'' Amelia Earhart, Thea Rasche, Fay Gillis and the other women pilots would show the Times and everybody else ``what for'' soon enough, but for now they had to come up with a name. They kicked around The Climbing Vines, Noisy Birdwomen, Homing Pigeons and Gadflies before Earhart, the club's first president, suggested they keep it simple - something like the total of the club's charter members, 99. And that's how the Ninety-Nines - more than 6,000 female pilots strong in 35 countries today - was born 74 years ago. So 99 cutting-edge women could share their passion for aviation, and spread it to other women. Because, like Thea Rasche said back in 1929, ``Flying is more thrilling than love for a man and far less dangerous.'' The San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Chapter of the Ninety-Nines is co-sponsoring the Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. Aviation Expo this weekend. The event is expected to draw up to 300,000 spectators for free air shows, displays of world-class military and civilian aircraft, aerobatics aerobatics Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and dives with an airplane. As an organized sport, rather than as an air show attraction (“stunt flying”), aerobatics began international competition in 1960 under the auspices of the demonstrations and an exact replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer - Orville and Wilbur Wright's historic biplane biplane, aircraft, typically of early design, having two sets of wings fixed at different levels, especially in a vertical stack with the fuselage included between them. See airplane. . It's a weekend of some incredible aviation history, and the trip over to Van Nuys Airport wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Ninety-Nines refreshment booth to talk to some of the 80 local women pilots who make up the Valley chapter. They're an active group of some of the most fun-loving, daredevil, diverse women you're ever going to meet - on or off the ground. Amelia Earhart and her sisters would be proud of these women pilots who have followed them in the Ninety-Nines because they're carrying on the tradition and passing the torch. Local veteran women pilots, like Susan Jane Theurkauf and Lois Peck, are mentoring novice female pilots, like Julieann Sikora, who just got her private pilot's license last week. Helping guide and train a young woman who wants to make her living one day flying for Fed-Ex or United Parcel Service United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS), commonly referred to as UPS, is the world's largest package delivery company, delivering more than 15 million packages[1] a day to 6.1 million customers in over 200 countries and territories around the world. . ``The Ninety-Nines have been a major confidence builder in helping me make my dream happen,'' said Sikora, who remembers coming to this air show as a little girl with her father. Now she's hoping to meet some other little girls this weekend with the same dreams and aspirations to one day take to the skies and become a Ninety-Nine. ``We make flying fun while encouraging student women pilots, and providing them scholarships so they can further their education in the field of aviation,'' said Jaye Howes, chairman of the Valley chapter. If you can't make it to the show, but want more information on the Ninety-Nines, call (818) 989-0081. The Van Nuys Airport Aviation Expo, which raises funds for local nonprofit youth and service organizations, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The pedestrian entrance for the air show will be located at 8030 Balboa Blvd., and there's plenty of free parking with shuttle bus service available at three off-site lots: California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , north campus, 18000 Lassen St; Los Angeles County Courthouse parking structure, 6170 Sylmar Ave; and the Woodley Golf Course, 6335 Woodley Ave. Disabled parking only will be provided on-site at 8050 Balboa Blvd. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lois Peck, Susan Theurkauf and Julieann Sikora, from left, are members of the Valley chapter of the Ninety-Nines, a women's pilot group. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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