History
During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, the best known air race was a trans-continental event for women pilots, the "Powder Puff Derby."
Comedian Will Rogers originally applied that nickname to the Women's Air Derby, which was on the program of the 1929 National Air Races in Cleveland. The first major race for women, it began in California on August 13 and ended August 20 at Cleveland Municipal Airport. Competitors weren't allowed to use any navigational aids except road maps, so flying was limited to daylight hours.
Twenty women, including Amelia Earhart, entered the race, which was won by Louise Thaden. Almost as soon as the race was over, the women met under the wing of a plane and agreed to form their own organization.
Formally established on Nov. 2, 1929, the organization was called the Ninety-Nines, because 99 of the 117 licensed women pilots in the U. S. became charter members.
Women made a major breakthrough in 1935, when they were allowed to enter the prestigious trans-continental race for the Bendix Trophy. An even bigger breakthrough came the following year, when Louise Thaden and co-pilot Blanche Noyes won the race. Not only that, Laura Ingalls was second and Amelia Earhart, with co-pilot Helen Richey, placed fifth, giving women three of the top five finishes.
When air racing resumed after World War II, the Ninety-Nines decided that a major race would be the ideal way to achieve the organization's major goal, spotlighting the role of women in aviation.
The All-Woman Air Race from Palm Springs, California, to Tampa Florida, was inaugurated in 1947, with only two contestants. The following year, the event was renamed the All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR) and seven pilots entered.
In ensuing years, the race received more and more entrants and more and more publicity, and the press revived the "Powder Puff Derby" tag. Despite its semi-sarcastic overtones, the name was proudly accepted by the Ninety-Nines.
The race wasn't held in 1974 because of the fuel crisis. Increasing costs combined with dwindling corporate sponsorship brought the race to an end after 1977.
The AWTAR course, which was different every year, usually covered about 2,500 air miles. As with the original Women's Air Derby, night flying and instrument flying were forbidden, and the winner was determined by a complex formula using elapsed time and handicaps.