The Ninety Nines Inc

From NPR correspondent Keith O' Brien comes this thrilling Young Readers' edition of the untold story about pioneering women, including Amelia Earhart, who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s--and won. In the years between World War I and World War II, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Thousands of fans flocked to multiday events, and the pilots who competed in these races were hailed as heroes. Well, the male pilots were hailed. Women who flew planes were often ridiculed by the press, and initially they weren't invited to race. Yet a group of women were determined to take to the sky--no matter what. With guts and grit, they overcame incredible odds both on the ground and in the air to pursue their dreams of flying and racing planes. Fly Girls follows the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, a highâe'school dropout from North Dakota; Ruth Elder, an Alabama housewife; Amelia Earhart, the most famous, but not necessarily the most skilled; Ruth Nichols, a daughter of Wall Street wealth who longed to live a life of her own; and Louise Thaden, who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Together, they fought for the chance to race against the men--and in 1936 one of them would triumph in the toughest raceof all. Complete with photographs and a glossary, Fly Girls celebrates a little-known slice of history wherein tenacious, trail-blazing women braved all obstacles to achieve greatness.

Amelia Earhart's account of her ill-fated last flight around the world, begun in 1937, remains one of the most moving and absorbing adventure stories of all time. Last Flight compiles the letters, diary entries and charts that she sent to her husband, G.P. Putnam at each stage of her trip. In her own words, these dispatches offer a window into her experience on this ground-breaking journey and illustrate her cheerful, charming nature. Her story continues to intrigue and inspire people to this day.

Autobiography of the famous flyer which describes her own ambitions to become a pilot and offers advice to others.

Flying Above the Glass Ceiling chronicles the accomplishments of pioneering women flyers and distaff members of the aviation industry from the 1800s to the present, noting their specific struggles because they entered a man's profession! Their personal stories, determination, passion, triumphs, and disappointments provide insight into what kept them moving toward their dream. This book gives hope to everyone who has the qualifications to achieve his or her career goal.

High, Wide and Frightened, first published in 1938, is pioneering aviator Louise Thaden's account of her adventures in the early days of flying. Thaden (1905-1979) earned her pilot's certificate in 1928 and would go on to win numerous long-distance air-races, and set numerous records for high-elevation and long-endurance flights. This edition includes the chapter entitled "Noble Experiment," (omitted from later reissues of the book), which describes Thaden's vision on the use of women in combat. In the final chapter of the book, Thaden describes her friendship with Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean.

Spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel tells the riveting story of the female pilots who each dreamed of being the first American woman in space. When the space age dawned in the late 1950s, Jackie Cochran held more propeller and jet flying records than any pilot of the twentieth century—man or woman. She had led the Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots during the Second World War, was the first woman to break the sound barrier, ran her own luxury cosmetics company, and counted multiple presidents among her personal friends. She was more qualified than any woman in the world to make the leap from atmosphere to orbit. Yet it was Jerrie Cobb, twenty-five years Jackie's junior and a record-holding pilot in her own right, who finagled her way into taking the same medical tests as the Mercury astronauts. The prospect of flying in space quickly became her obsession. While the American and international media spun the shocking story of a "woman astronaut" program, Jackie and Jerrie struggled to gain control of the narrative, each hoping to turn the rumored program into their own ideal reality—an issue that ultimately went all the way to Congress. This dual biography of audacious trailblazers Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb presents these fascinating and fearless women in all their glory and grit, using their stories as guides through the shifting social, political, and technical landscape of the time.