August 4, 2003 Update: Wings of Their Own Dear Friends: Actually, this project indeed has sprouted wings. After meeting, interviewing and talking with many of you in person, by telephone and through email, we also have begun to receive and collect lots of movie/video footage, old photographs and clippings from you, your families and colleagues. We love the home movies and hope to get more. We wanted to thank all of you who have participated in some way, and let you know that we are well on our way to documenting your historic feats. To date, we have interviewed over 120 women pilots, many of whom are Ninety-Nines. You are women of distinction with fascinating stories to tell. Some of you are actual pioneers, who pursued aviation firsts, while others of you are record holders. We also captured on tape winners of races, several WASP, and women from NASA. The contributions, the daring of your adventures, and your experiences are incredible. But most of all we wanted to keep you abreast of our progress: • Special thanks are in order for Carol Levine of the Long Island Ninety-Nines, who helped us capture some excellent aerial shots of Long Island as well as great cockpit footage from a Cessna 172. (Can't wait to do that again! Anyone else out there want a passenger with a camera?) • On the way to another appointment in New York City, serendipity took over. A quick stop at the "Century of Flight" exhibit at Rockefeller Center landed Mary Scott in a conversation with a Tuskegee airman at his actual plane, another WASP, two Air Force Majors, and a NASA engineer. When they heard about this project, they all wanted to help. (Hope potential sponsors react the same way.) • And, our own Jenny Beatty keeps sending us more contacts and helping us find others. • A video of the 2003 Air Race Classic Awards dinner has been completed. • Another video of the 2003 Amelia Earhart Memorial Awards dinner will be ready soon to help the Ninety-Nines create more visibility of their scholarship efforts. • A "trailer" of sorts that shows sample footage, interviews, and film style is in the works so that we can use it along with our solicitation to potential corporate underwriters as part of our financing strategies. (If any of you have high-up corporate contacts, we're looking for five major sponsors for this project's completion. We already have a list of 20 potential candidates and are in the process of testing our messages and approach with one company. Don't be shy. We'll take all the help we can get.) At the same time, you should know that we hope that this documentary will create enthusiasm for women pilots and demonstrate how you all serve as wonderful role models utilizing different pathways to keep airborne. Of course, why did women fly in the first place, what got them started, and why they keep flying is our core theme. However, the question that challenges us is why the percentage of women pilots is so low today? Women certainly have made advances and inroads into other traditionally male careers, such as medicine, law, engineering, and science. Even the professional sports field counts greater numbers of women athletes now. So what happened since 1929, when about six percent of all pilots were women? Though there are greater numbers of women pilots, how come the statistic for women pilots today remains at six percent? (This is our exploration.) Thanks again for your information and involvement. Pass the word along to your friends about our work and stay in touch. Send footage, too. Fair Skies to All, Mary Scott and Abby Dress Co-Producers of "Wings of Their Own"