Corbi Bulluck, the new president of The Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots, says the group is responding positively to the challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are looking to provide outreach and support to our members,” Bulluck said. “We want to help professional pilots who are struggling with their careers because of the pandemic and provide support for our new student pilots.”
Bulluck, a professional aviator from Apex, N.C., was installed as the organization’s newest president during a virtual convention in July.
“We were supposed to meet in Long Beach, California,” she said. “But the in-person event was cancelled by the pandemic restrictions.”
“We’ve gotten used to being online and attending seminars. We will continue that,” said Bulluck, a retired Airline Transport Pilot with more than 26 years of flying for airlines and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
The long history of the Ninety-Nines is a part of aviation lore. The group was founded in 1929 after a meeting at Curtiss Field on Long Island, N.Y. Of the 117 women pilots in the U.S. at that time, 99 signed up for membership, leading to the organization’s name.
The moving force in the early days was noted flyer and air racer Louise Thaden. In 1931 the world’s best-known female pilot, Amelia Earhart, became the first president of the organization.
“Today, we have just over 6,100 members in 57 countries,” Bulluck said. “There are 27 sections in the organization. Eight in the U.S., two in Canada, plus 17 non-North American. Most of the U.S. and Canada sections meet twice a year. The others don’t meet that often. In 2023 our annual meeting will be in Jordan, but in the meantime, India will host an international section meeting next year.”
“Our main target audience continues to be women of any flying age,” she continued. “And we want to strengthen the support for all our members.”
“Also, for this year we want to grow our two organization museums, the Museum of Women Pilots in Oklahoma City and the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas. We want them to be world class aviation museums.”
Ninety-Nines membership is only open to women pilots. U.S. dues are $65 yearly ($35 for student pilots).
“We also have the Friends of the Ninety-Nines, a non-profit organization open to all individuals and businesses and organizations who share an enthusiasm for aviation and a desire to support the Ninety-Nines,” Bulluck said.
Dues are $50 yearly.
One way the Ninety-Nines fosters growth among its members is scholarships.
“The sections provide their own scholarships and give thousands of dollars each year,” Bulluck explained. “The Amelia Earhart Fund was started in 1940 as a way to honor her memory. The first scholarship was awarded in 1941 for $125. To date we have given over $12 million in scholarships. That’s over 800 scholarships.”
“We have a Fly Now Award for student pilots, a graduated program for each milestone along the way to earning your license,” she continued. “And 275 women are now flying because of that scholarship. This past year we made 29 awards to student pilots and 20 scholarships. The awards were for almost $175,000. The total value of the awards and scholarships given last year was $310,552.14. The neat thing about that it’s all member endowed. The members recognize how important and how critical it is to help women achieve their goals.”
Bulluck moved into the president’s job at a time of rising membership numbers. That increase came under the four-year stewardship of immediate past president Jan McKenzie.
“We started in March 2017 with 4,903 members,” McKenzie said. “And by June 30, 2020, we had 6,314 members.”
She credited current Ninety-Nines Vice President Terry Carbonell with taking the lead during a successful marketing and membership drive.
“I was thrilled that during my four years that two new sections, Italy and Africa, were chartered,” McKenzie said. “And I was able to attend Ninety-Nines meetings in Cairo, New Zealand, and Australia, plus Malawi and Tanzania.”
A continuing concern through the 90-plus years of the Ninety-Nines has been increasing the number of women pilots. FAA statistics for 2019 show female pilots made up 7.9% of the pilots in the U.S. Just 4.5% of Airline Transport Pilots were female.
“To work on this, we start early with the Girl Scouts and school groups to introduce them to flying,” Bulluck said. “We show these young girls and boys that anybody can fly. It’s critical that they see a woman flying the airplane. In addition, we provide mentorship for pilots who want to be professional pilots.”
“There is such a depth to this organization,” Bulluck noted. “Back in the 1920s women weren’t supposed to be pilots. Those 99 women said we’re going to work together. We’re going to be in this together.”
“One of the things about this organization is that we don’t get on the mountaintop and say look at me. We just go about our business,” she concluded. “Nobody is seeking fame or glory. We go about flying. We know we can do this.”