Organizations for Women in Aviation: WAI, Ninety-Nines, and More

What is Women in Aviation International (WAI)?

Women in Aviation International is the largest membership organization for women in the industry, with roughly 15,000 members across more than 130 chapters worldwide. Founded in 1990 by Dr. Peggy Chabrian and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1994, WAI runs an annual conference that has become the industry's central hiring and scholarship event — the 2024 Orlando conference drew over 4,500 attendees and awarded more than $890,000 in scholarships from sponsors including Boeing, FedEx, NetJets, Flexjet, and Delta.

WAI's scholarship portfolio is the broadest in the field, covering private pilot training, type ratings on aircraft like the Gulfstream G550 and Bombardier Global, A&P mechanic certification, dispatcher courses, and university tuition. The organization also operates the Pioneer Hall of Fame, which has inducted figures including Jacqueline Cochran, Jerrie Mock, and Beverley Bass — the American Airlines captain who led the diversion to Gander on September 11, later memorialized in the musical *Come From Away*.

What does The Ninety-Nines do?

The Ninety-Nines is the original international organization of licensed women pilots, founded in 1929 by 99 of the 117 women then holding pilot certificates, with Amelia Earhart serving as its first president. The group maintains active chapters across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, and is the steward of Earhart's legacy — it operates the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas.

Its flagship financial program is the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has awarded more than $11 million since inception and currently funds advanced ratings — instrument, commercial, multi-engine, ATP, CFI, and jet type ratings — for licensed female pilots. Unlike WAI, the Ninety-Nines requires an existing pilot certificate for membership, making it more focused on career progression than entry-level training.

What is ISA+21?

The International Society of Women Airline Pilots, known as ISA+21, is the professional association for female airline transport pilots flying for scheduled carriers. The "+21" refers to its 1978 founding by 21 women — at the time, essentially every female airline pilot in the United States, led by Captain Beverley Bass and her contemporaries at Frontier, Braniff, and American.

ISA+21 is smaller and more selective than WAI by design — membership requires current employment as an airline pilot at a Part 121 carrier. The organization tracks female airline pilot representation globally, publishes career data, and operates a scholarship fund supporting women pursuing type ratings and ATP certificates. For corporate and charter pilots looking at the airline track, ISA+21's network is the most direct line into major-carrier hiring.

What is Whirly-Girls International?

Whirly-Girls International is the global association for licensed female helicopter pilots, founded in 1955 by Jean Ross Howard Phelan when fewer than a dozen women held rotorcraft ratings. Membership today exceeds 2,500 across more than 50 countries, and the organization has awarded over $1.5 million in flight training scholarships through partners including Bell, Robinson Helicopter, Airbus Helicopters, and Sikorsky.

The group's relevance to private aviation is direct: helicopter charter, HEMS operations, offshore oil-and-gas transport, and corporate VIP rotorcraft flying are growing segments, and Whirly-Girls is the primary credentialing network for women entering them. The annual scholarship banquet, typically held at HAI Heli-Expo, is where most operator-sponsored type-rating awards are announced.

What does Sisters of the Skies do?

Sisters of the Skies is the professional organization for Black female pilots, founded in 2015 and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2018. Its members include captains at every major U.S. airline, military aviators, and corporate pilots — collectively a small population given that Black women hold roughly 150 ATP certificates out of more than 170,000 issued by the FAA.

The organization runs a structured mentorship program pairing licensed pilots with young women pursuing aviation careers, and its Solo Scholarship Program funds first-solo flight training — a deliberate intervention at the point where attrition is highest. Sisters of the Skies also partners with United Airlines' Aviate Academy and the OBAP (Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals) on pipeline programs.

Are there organizations specific to corporate and business aviation?

Yes — the NBAA Business Aviation Women's Council and the NBAA Young Professionals in Business Aviation network are the primary channels for women in charter, fractional, and corporate flight departments. The Women's Council operates within the National Business Aviation Association and focuses on retention and advancement within Part 91 and Part 135 operators, where female representation in flight-deck roles remains below 6% based on NBAA workforce surveys.

Operator-specific groups also exist: NetJets Women in Aviation, Flexjet's internal women's network, and similar affinity groups at Wheels Up, VistaJet, and Jet Aviation. These tend to be employee resource groups rather than independent nonprofits, but they administer real budgets for type-rating sponsorships and conference attendance.

What about regional and specialty groups?

Regional and specialty organizations fill gaps the larger groups don't cover. The Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide runs Women of Aviation Worldwide Week each March, coordinating introductory flights and outreach events across more than 50 countries. The British Women Pilots' Association, the European Women Airline Pilots, and the Indian Women Pilots' Association serve their respective regions with localized scholarship and advocacy programs.

For maintenance and engineering, the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM) addresses a segment where female representation sits near 2.6% according to FAA A&P certificate data. AWAM's scholarship program funds tooling, certification testing, and continuing education — costs that are often the practical barrier for women already working in hangars but unable to advance to inspector or director-of-maintenance roles.

Which organization should you join first?

For a student or career-changer with no certificates yet, WAI is the broadest entry point and the conference alone justifies the $79 annual membership. Licensed pilots aiming at advanced ratings or career progression get more direct value from The Ninety-Nines and, for helicopter pilots, Whirly-Girls. Working airline pilots join ISA+21; working corporate pilots engage through NBAA's women's programming. Most serious aviators end up holding multiple memberships — the scholarship pools and hiring networks do not fully overlap, and the combined annual cost is well under $300 against scholarship awards that routinely exceed $20,000 per recipient.