the sky’s the limit
Maui 99s formed to help promote female aviators
Lahaina resident Anita White (left) and Waihee resident Shannon Christiansen are elevating opportunities for female aviators of all stripes through the Maui 99s, a local nonprofit that promotes the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships and mutual support. Photos courtesy of Anita White
Now 40 members strong, the newly formed Maui 99s is composed of female aviation aficionados of all ages and stripes, including professional, recreational, retired and rookie pilots, as well as flight instructors, mechanics and technicians. They come from different walks of life but have one thing in common: a passion for flying.
Lahaina resident Anita White (left) and Waihee resident Shannon Christiansen are elevating opportunities for female aviators of all stripes through the Maui 99s, a local nonprofit that promotes the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships and mutual support. Photos courtesy of Anita White
Now 40 members strong, the newly formed Maui 99s is composed of female aviation aficionados of all ages and stripes, including professional, recreational, retired and rookie pilots, as well as flight instructors, mechanics and technicians. They come from different walks of life but have one thing in common: a passion for flying.
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Anita White and Shannon Christiansen are in their element when they're up in the clouds.
White, a flight instructor, and Christiansen, a Mokulele Airlines captain and LifeSave KuPono first officer, say there's nothing more exhilarating than being at the controls of an airplane. But there's one thing that comes close: When a little girl tells them she wants to be a pilot someday.
"It feels good to hear girls say 'I want to do that,' " Christiansen said.
According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration, there were 609,306 active pilots in the United States in 2017. Of them, only 42,694, or just over 7 percent, were women. White and Christiansen are doing their part to increase that number through the newly formed Maui 99s, a chapter of The Ninety-Nines Inc., an international organization of female pilots that promotes the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships and mutual support.
Founded in 1929 by 99 licensed female pilots (Amelia Earhart was elected the first president) and headquartered at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, the nonprofit now has thousands of members in more than 40 countries. Local chapters sponsor educational programs like aerospace workshops for teachers, airport tours for students, fear-of-flying clinics and flight instructor revalidation seminars.
Members also participate in National Intercollegiate Flying Association student competitions and Girl Scouts Aviation Day programs. Apart from stoking interest in a high-flying career, 99s chapters help fledgling pilots navigate the often complex--not to mention costly -- flight training process.
Christiansen's journey to becoming a professional pilot began nine years ago when she decided she wanted to learn how to fly an airplane. She says it was love at first flight.
"It felt so right," she recalled.
She started her pilot training and became a member of the Aloha 99s, a Honolulu-based chapter of The Ninety-Nines (the only chapter in Hawaii at the time). Scholarships from the Aloha 99s and other organizations helped Christiansen complete her training and earn her wings. Three years ago, she joined the Mokulele Airlines flight crew, and last month, began flying for LifeSave KuPono, a critical care air ambulance company.
White learned to fly at the age of 11. It's safe to say she was preordained to sit in the cockpit: Her mother worked at a flight school in Burbank, Calif., not far from White's childhood home in the San Fernando Valley.
"It's my passion," she said. "Flying makes me happy."
In 1989, she moved to Maui and received both her pilot's license and real estate license. She went on to become a Big Island volcano tour pilot for Mokulele Airlines and a flight instructor. In the early 1990s, White joined the Aloha 99s, and two decades later, met Christiansen and became one of her mentors.
Last July, White, Christiansen and four other female pilots started Maui's own chapter of The Ninety-Nines. With a growing membership, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit aims to promote aviation education and offer mentoring, support and scholarships to women aviators on the Valley Isle. (They also make high-altitude Christmas cookie deliveries to the Kapalua and Molokai control towers). Christiansen serves as the Maui 99s' chairperson; White is the treasurer.
The group is barely a year old but has already made considerable headway. Last summer, the Maui 99s hosted 16 Girl Scouts at the Maui Aviators hangar at Kahului Airport as part of the annual Girl Scouts Aviation Day program.
White, Christiansen and their fellow 99s taught the Girl Scouts the science of flight through hands-on activities. Among other things, they demonstrated how an airplane's wings produce lift (the force that keeps the aircraft aloft as it flies) using a ping-pong ball and hair dryer. The girls also built paper airplanes and put their creations to the test in a spot landing contest. And after helping a female pilot preflight an airplane on the tarmac, the Girl Scouts donned headsets and sat inside the cockpit.
They didn't take flight that afternoon, but something else likely did: An interest in flying.
The Maui 99s also have made classroom visits and participated in youth STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) events. Not only do the women share what it's like to fly an airplane, but they also open students' eyes to the possibilities of a career in aviation.
Christiansen said the Maui 99s are gearing up to raise funds for scholarships to help novice female pilots get off the ground; donations are always welcome. The group is currently accepting new members. The only requirement to join? A passion for flight. Membership is open to female aviation aficionados of all stripes, including professional, recreational, rookie and retired pilots, as well as flight instructors, mechanics and technicians.
For more information about the Maui 99s or to inquire about membership or donor opportunities, visit www.maui99s.com or www.facebook.com/maui99s/. To learn more about the history and mission of The Ninety-Nines, visit www.ninety-nines.org.