(metal clanking) (door closes) (wheels reeling) (birds chirping) - [Announcer] Coming up on a go for all the sequence start.

(birds chirping) (dog barking) (radio announcing) - [Radio] And we have a go for auto sequence start.

- [Announcer] And we have a go for auto sequence start.

discoveries onboard computers are primary control of all the vehicle's critical functions.

T minus 17 seconds and count 15 (airplane engine roaring) 12, 11 10, nine, eight, seven, six.

(rocket launching) start, two, one, mission and lift off of the space shuttle Discovery, returning to the space station, paving the way for future missions beyond.

(crowd cheers) - [Narrator] They are a rare example of the right stuff.

Proof that once you set your mind to something, even the sky is not the limit.

Theirs is a quest for excellence.

They are extraordinary women in aviation.

Welcome to the Palm Springs Air Museum.

I'm your host, Gail O' Grady.

You've probably heard the phrase, "You can't be what you can't see."

Today, women are living more by the ethos, "You can't be what you can't dream."

From Amelia Earhart to Ellen Ochoa and beyond, female aviators have been making history each in their own way, each on their own terms.

They are pioneers that made a lasting impact on people around the world, proving women are in charge of their own destiny.

(radio static chattering) The accomplishments and contributions of women in aviation spanned decades.

Going back to 1910, in Raymonde de Laroche marking the world's first woman to earn a pilot's license.

In 1912, Harriet Quimby was the first woman to pilot her own aircraft across the English Channel.

In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African-American female or male to earn a pilot's license.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

In 1939, Jacqueline Cochran set an international speed record.

Later, Cochran would be instrumental in creating the Women Air Force Service Pilots WASP as they became known as.

In 1964, Geraldine Jerrie Mock of Columbus, Ohio was the first woman to pilot a plane solo around the world.

The Spirit of Columbus, a single engine plane.

It wasn't until 1973 that the US Navy announced pilot training for women.

And in 1985, Tammy Jo Shults would take advantage of that and go on to become one of the first female fighter pilots flying an F18 Super Hornet.

- The recruiters at the Air Force said, "No."

I waited for someone different to be behind the desk.

And they said, "No, we don't recruit girls."

And the third time they said, "Alright, don't come back.

"Send your brother in if he's interested."

And the Army I heard the same no.

And then the Navy said, "Sure, take a test."

But while that was encouraging, it would take two more years to find and three more recruiters to find a Navy recruiter that would process that test.

Women were fairly new in that community, so a lot of times navigating different personalities and sometimes egos was much more difficult than flying the aircraft.

And the aircraft wasn't easy.

I think any of the men that flew it would say it was a challenge.

It was a handful to not only learn, but then to apply that and stay ahead of it.

Well worth our effort.

But when you add the complication of being the first, you know, that looks different than everybody else.

Why it was often probably our biggest challenge.

- [Narrator] After serving her country honorably for eight years, Tammy Jo left the Navy and piloted for Southwest Airlines.

On April 17th, 2018, Shults faced her greatest challenge as a pilot when Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 had a catastrophic engine failure causing an explosion that tore away sections of the plane and punctured a window.

- [Announcer] Southwest 1380 has an engine fire descending.

- [Announcer] Yeah, we have a part of the aircraft missing.

- [Narrator] Through rapid depressurization and thick smoke, Shults safely landed the severely crippled flight manually and saved the lives of 148 people.

Tammy Jo is a firm believer in hope doesn't take no for an answer, hope pushes through.

- But after regaining control and finding a destination and then communicating that fact, it just seemed to change the atmosphere.

Our flight attendant's hearing that we were in control and we're headed to Philadelphia.

Darren and I started problem solving from where we were to where we wanted to be when we had a destination.

And at the end of the day, there were a few things, that kind of surfaced.

Habits on a good day, becoming instinct on a bad day, heroes, and what a difference they made stepping up many of them without any uniform, any equipment, any authority.

But the way they stepped up changed the ending of that day.

But hope was pivotal, in that it didn't change our circumstances, but it changed us.

And just having that, it gives you a buoyancy in some pretty terrible situations.

- The Palm Springs Air Museum features one of the world's largest collections of flyable and static aircraft from World War II.

Like this fan favorite, pristine P51D Mustang named Man a War.

During World War II, the Women Air Force Service Pilots WASP flew planes like these, tested aircraft, ferried aircraft overseas to our men in battle and trained other pilots.

Their purpose was to free male pilots for combat rules during the war.

(soft music) However, it wasn't until Erin Miller proud granddaughter of WASP, Elaine Danforth Harmon in 2016 led a successful grassroots campaign to fight for the passage of H.R.4336 through Congress and the WASP were finally recognized for their wartime service and bestowed equal respect at all of the nation's military cemeteries.

- My grandmother was Elaine Danforth Harmon.

She attended University of Maryland here in College Park, Maryland.

While she was attending college, she was interested in learning how to fly.

She saw an advertisement in the local college newspaper for the civilian pilot training program, which was developed by the US government in the 1930s to increase the number of people in the United States who had pilots licenses.

The program cost $40, so she got the money from her father.

She did not tell her mother she was doing this because her mom was very traditional and didn't think women should be doing unwomanly things like flying airplanes.

They accepted one woman for every 10 men in the program.

So she completed that program in her last year of college.

A few years later when the WASP program became more well known, it was on the cover of Life Magazine and she saw it and learned about it and thought, "Maybe I should do that right?

"I have a pilot's license."

So she figured out how to apply and ended up getting accepted into the program.

My grandmother trained in Class 449, which was the second to last class of the program.

And she finished in the fall of 1944 and was assigned to Nellis Air Base, which we now call Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And my grandmother's mission was to train men on instrument training in the BT-13 aircraft.

The WASP learned to fly every plane that was built during World War II.

A few did pursuit aircraft, some did bombers, you know, my grandma did, for example, the BT-13.

She was a co-pilot on the B-17 bomber as well.

The WASP were not allowed to go overseas and serve in combat.

Despite that, 38 of them died during this service, 11 in training and 27 during active service.

They were not properly recognized at the time as veterans or as part of the army.

There was a big argument in Congress as to whether they should be commissioned into the army formally or not.

And ultimately the bill to commission them or have them formally into the army failed by 19 votes in the summer of 1944.

The program was disbanded at the end of 1944 and the women went home without any recognition or real benefits for their service.

For about 35 years after they served, nobody really knew who they were and the WASP and my grandmother realized they needed to go out and do talks and lectures and let people know what they had done, not for themselves necessarily, but because it was part of women's history and helping to build the blocks for women to achieve things after them.

After doing some research, I launched a social media campaign that turned into a general media campaign and a campaign to advocate for a new law in Congress.

The bill that was signed into law was H.R.4336, and it's actually tattooed on my arm.

I met with more than 150 offices on Capitol Hill between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Over the course of a few months to advocate for this bill being signed into law was ultimately signed into law by the President of the United States on May 20th, 2016, after which we were able to get my grandmother back in line at Arlington.

And eventually she was laid to rest with a military funeral honors on September 7th, 2016.

As a result of all of that, a lot of people learned about the WASP, which ironically was my grandmother's goal in life.

In spending all that time going to schools and museums and giving talks, and ironically by getting into an argument with the cemetery, millions of people learned about them.

So she was able to achieve her goal even after she was gone.

- Bonnie had been a pilot for nearly four decades and in that time, she had seen a lot of changes in the aviation industry.

The introduction of new technologies, the rise of the commercial airline industry, and the evolution of aircraft designs.

One thing that she had seen however, that had made her the proudest, was the elevation of women as pilots.

- I would love to see more women take on all roles in aviation, whether it's pilots, mechanics, working for the FAA and the Area Control center, the tower.

Right now, because we're transitioning to a whole new era in aviation, we have two of our young students in the 99s who are a aeronautical engineers specializing in drones.

I have another member who is becoming a commercial drone pilot, and there is so many opportunities out there for women in aviation, in all phases of it that A, finish your education.

If possible, go to college, get your college degree if you have the personality, take physics.

That's a fairly important thing in aviation.

Yeah.

(soft music) - Despite the fact that the aerospace industry has historically been a male dominated field, the success of American space exploration is largely due to the invaluable contributions of women.

From mathematicians to engineers, the input and expertise of women have been essential in propelling us into the stars.

Without their dedication and hard work, American space travel would not have taken off.

Women like Mary Jackson helped one of the first American astronauts, John Glenn orbit the Earth in 1962 and ensured the safety of the mission.

The African American women, computers as they were known, played a vital role in advancing NASA's projects.

A story popularized by the movie "Hidden Figures," based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterley.

Seven years later, the US realized President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the moon.

- I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.

No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space.

And none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.

- [Narrator] Neil Armstrong left a footprint that was seen and heard around the world.

- [Neil Armstrong] Take one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

- Rhea Seddon was in college when she and her father watched that same monumental lunar landing, an event that further solidified her dream of becoming an astronaut.

In 1978 Seddon's life was forever changed when she was selected as one of the six women admitted as astronaut candidates, in a group of 35 new astronauts.

(radios chattering) She worked at NASA for 19 years.

She served as a mission specialist on space shuttle flights and as a payload commander in charge of all science activities on her final flight in 1993.

- Applying for the astronaut program was kind of a long process.

Luckily I found out that they were going to take women in a new group of astronauts.

And they were taking applications in 1977, I asked for one, received it, filled it out, felt like I had the credentials.

I had an advanced degree, I was an MD by then.

And I guess there were about 8,700 people that applied at the same time that I did.

Luckily I was invited to NASA for an interview and they had cut the number down to 220, so I felt like my odds were a lot better.

You know, I received a call in January of 1978 that I had been accepted into the program, so it was a pretty exciting moment for me.

I never really dreamed that it would happen, but I was very fortunate to be kind of at the right place at the right time and some things all came together.

I think when women are achievers, they have a responsibility to sort of pass on what they know and how they achieved their goals.

I certainly love to speak to young women and see a light go on in their eyes and they think, "Well gosh, if she can do that, "maybe I can too."

And I think that's so important to be able to pass on those dreams to others.

(rocket engine roaring) - In April, 1993, history was made when Ellen Ochoa a female mathematician in aerospace engineer, became the world's first Hispanic female astronaut.

She wrote her own name in the stars, blazing a trail for future female astronauts and inspiring generations of young women to pursue their dreams.

Ellen was born in 1958 and grew up in Los Angeles, California.

She too had the same dream of graduating college and becoming an astronaut.

Ochoa graduated from San Diego State University with a major in physics.

She went on to earn a doctorate in electrical engineering at Stanford.

After finishing NASA's two year astronaut training, Ochoa was selected to serve as mission specialist among the five member crew.

- When I was assigned to my first mission and I was gonna be the first Latina in space, you know, I don't think it mattered to my other crew members, you know, they just wanna make sure you're gonna be a good and competent crew member and work with everyone well and help make the mission successful.

And of course that was top of mind always for me.

I trained with my crew for a year, so you know, you get to know each other quite personally, everybody's families and so you know, those labels don't really mean anything.

It's really just about a group of people working together.

- Ochoa is a veteran of four space flights leading onboard scientific activities and logging nearly 1000 hours in orbit.

- I love being in the astronaut program.

I love being at NASA in general.

I mean, of course there's the unique experience of actually flying in space, but to me it wasn't just about being in space, it was, "We have a mission."

My first two missions were really focused on scientific research, which is exactly what I was thinking about when I first got interested in applying.

We were studying the Earth's atmosphere, and particularly the problem of the ozone hole and ozone depletion.

So we were collecting data that was important to people all around the globe.

- [Narrator] An outspoken advocate for young women and minorities entering STEM fields, six schools across California, Oklahoma, Washington, and Texas, bear her name.

Dr. Ochoa, was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and receive NASA's highest award, The Distinguished Service Medal.

- Well, for me, Sally Ride was somebody that really got me thinking about the astronaut program, but even more globally about just setting goals for myself that maybe I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

I can see that I'm playing that role for others as well.

You should dream big and set goals for yourself that you might have felt without seeing these other women that were just beyond you.

So I just feel really fortunate that I get to fill that role for other people.

(soft music) - In December, 1998, when the shuttle Columbia takes off, Colonel Eileen Collins will take one big step forward for women and one giant leap for humanity.

(audience applauds) - [Narrator] Timing was everything for space travel, trailblazer, Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins.

She was one of the first women to go from college into the Air Force pilot training program.

Collins became an astronaut in 1991 after being selected for the astronaut program while attending the Air Force Test Pilot School.

- The first time I was aware of astronauts, I was in fourth grade reading my junior Scholastic magazine in the article on the Gemini astronauts drew my attention.

I still remember it today.

And looking back, I know men like Jim McDivitt, Jim Lovell, Michael Collins, you know, same last name as me, no relation.

But I really admired them.

And I looked at their backgrounds.

They were all test pilots, they were engineers, they were military pilots.

And I said, "That's what I wanna do.

"I wanna be just like them."

- In 1995, Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle.

And in 1999, went on to become the first female commander of a space shuttle mission Columbia STS-93.

- We are a nation built by the passion of people who weren't afraid to do something first, to step into the unknown and to pave our own way forward.

We are a nation of explorers.

As I look into the future, I believe there is a very bright future for all pilots, women pilots, male pilots, young and old.

It took a little bit of courage on my part to call the airport and to actually go up there and say, "Will, you teach me how to fly?"

I mean, I thought they'd say, "Oh, you know, you're too young, you're a girl."

I just thought they wouldn't want me.

But it was just the opposite.

And I think all these years later, since the women have proved that they're there because they want to fly, they're not there to be, you know, some kind of historical figure or something like that, or gain attention for ourselves.

We're there because, we love to fly.

We wanna serve our country.

- Although space shuttles and airplanes don't care about your gender.

For Palm Springs Air Museum docent, Karen Heine, aviation was hers to conquer.

- There wasn't any women in the Air Force flying when I graduated from high school.

So I decided I would do the civilian route.

Went out to the local airport and started taking flying lessons.

I first got hired with a commuter with Simmons Airlines in Marquette, Michigan.

We were the northwest Airlink commuter out of Detroit and the American Eagle out of Chicago.

Then America bought us and moved us all to Chicago.

I flew for them for six years and then got hired with Northwest, so I'm former Northwest.

And then Delta acquired us in 2008 and I was there total of 25 years.

I love being in the air, absolutely love flying, the thrill of leaving the ground and just being up there.

But I still love flying, just the thrill of it.

(soft music) - For many years, three time female aerobatic champion Betty Skelton was known as the first lady of firsts.

The Florida native earned her nickname the hard way.

Weather is the international female aerobatic champion flying at 29,000 feet, or traveling at speeds greater than 300 miles an hour in a jet powered car.

In the process of setting 17 aviation and race car records, she also paved the way for women to enjoy equal opportunities in aviation, sports and business.

Betty's plane is much like this one here at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Our Stearman was built in 1941 and is unique in that it has an engine that offers double the horsepower compared to the original.

It was previously owned by Barron, The Flying Innkeeper Hilton.

Upon his passing, the Hilton family donated it to the museum to ensure the plane would continue to be flown and maintained.

The Stearman is one of our flagship war birds being our most popular warbird ride.

(airplane engine roaring) (upbeat music) Today, Vicky Benzing is wowing crowds of fans in her own vintage 1940 Stearman.

- I started flying because I started skydiving.

My uncle was an air show pilot, he was an air racer, he was a crop duster and he was bigger than life to me.

But I never thought as a young girl that I would be able to be a pilot or to learn to fly.

But one day one of my buddies asked me to go skydiving and I said yes.

So we went out and went skydiving and I fell in love with skydiving.

I fell in love with bing in the sky and I was around the airplanes.

And I came home and I told my parents that I just had to learn to fly.

It turned out that one of my dad's friends let me learn to fly in his 1940 Taylor Craft.

And the very first time I got behind the controls and flew the airplane myself, I knew that that was absolutely where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.

It was just so amazing.

- [Narrator] Benzing's air racing career began in 2010 at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, where she was chosen rookie of the year.

Soon after Benzing wowed the racing world with her 469 plus mile per hour qualifying time, making her the fastest woman racer, in the history of the event.

- When I first started flying, there really were hardly any women in aviation and it would be very rare to hear a woman's voice on the radio.

And nowadays you hear a woman's voice on the radio quite frequently, which is really fantastic.

I love that women are more engaged in aviation.

As I learned to fly aerobatics, Wayne Hanley took me under his wing and taught me all he knew.

And Bill Stein taught me how to fly a Stearman, which was huge because I do all my air shows pretty much now in the Stearman.

And then of course my friend Lee Beal, he's the one who taught me how to race at Reno and taught me how to fly the race course and taught me how to prepare the airplane to be as fast as it could be.

And I owe lot to Lee for being a Reno air racer.

I think everybody needs small models.

Sometimes you don't know you can do something until you see that somebody else has done something.

And I can't tell you how many young women I have met who've come up to me and said, "Hey, I saw you flying in an air show "and you totally inspired me "and now I'm studying to be a pilot, "I'm going to college and thank you very much."

And for me, just doing the things I love to do, it is very humbling for me to realize that other young women look at me as a role model.

That's big.

(airplane engine roaring) (upbeat music) - They say, every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Like Captain Elizabeth Lizard Somerville, the first female commanding officer of Naval Test Wing Atlantic.

- So in order to be the first individual to do something, I think really takes teamwork.

It might be me that's standing here as a commander of Naval Testing Wing Atlantic, but I am just one person of a really big team.

So in order to succeed, we succeed together or we fail together.

It's just a matter of being able to bring that team together and push that team towards a common goal.

- [Narrator] Or retired Lieutenant General Stayce Harris, the highest ranking African American female military pilot in all the United States Armed forces.

- I tell people I was born into the Air Force, I've been in the Air Force all my life.

My father served a career as a enlisted service member.

And so I knew ever since I was was young that I wanted to serve in the Air Force, but I wasn't really quite sure what my father did.

So I tell people he wore light blue shirt and dark blue pants and every two years we moved to what I thought was a new and exotic location around the world.

But it wasn't until I entered Junior ROTC and then ROTC in college that I knew that I had a propensity to serve.

I tell people you can't touch it, but you know that you wanna be part of something greater than yourself.

And that's what I wanted to do with the Air Force.

- [Narrator] Former bush pilot now Army Experimental UH-60 Blackhawk test pilot CW5, Lourie Deboer.

- I don't know that I think about glass ceilings.

To me the biggest ceilings are always possibility and perception.

For possibility, that's something I control.

It's what I think I'm capable of doing, what's possible for me.

I grew up around male aviators.

You know, there weren't women around, that I could look at and go, "Oh, that's possible for me too."

And then perception, it's the people I work with.

You know, what is their perception of what I'm capable of?

You put in the work, you show them what you're capable of.

And I've never ever run into a situation where I wasn't capable of proving to them that I was good at what I did.

- [Narrator] Brigadier General Jeannie M. Leavitt overseeing the most diverse flying wing in the US Air Force.

- When I joined the Air Force and went to pilot training, I wanted to fly fighters.

I didn't wanna be the first female fighter pilot, but that was the way the timing worked.

I didn't want the attention, but this was a significant change in policy.

So there was a lot of attention.

But what I found is that quickly the attention shifted away from my gender to my performance.

'Cause that's what really matters, is how you perform.

- [Narrator] Lieutenant Commander Mary Hacksaw Ruttum pilot of the F-35C, the world's only fifth-generation long rage stealth strike fighter designed and built explicitly for carrier operations.

- So going from being a flight school student to now, what I would attribute my success to the most is probably the ability to compartmentalize.

So I think that being a pilot, that's kind of one of the things you have to be able to do the best because at the end of the day they say, the perfect flight doesn't exist.

And it's very true, you always makes small mistakes.

And I think being able to move past those so that it doesn't train wreck the rest of the event is what's gotten me here.

And then as my mom always says, "Don't borrow trouble."

So I know that I might have a big event in the future, but I'm just gonna focus on the flight ahead of me.

And then that has, I think, helped me kind of stay focused on my path right now.

- [Narrator] Lieutenant Commander Kristen Dragon Hansen, graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, Top Gun and F/A-18 Hornet pilot.

- I actually started out wanting to be an astronaut.

I remember watching shuttle launches when I was six and being very upset about missing them, when I had to go to kindergarten.

I decided to go to the Naval Academy because they have the most astronaut graduates from there, fell in love with the Navy, fell in love with aviation, and was lucky enough to select jets at a flight school.

And during my fleet tours, I fell in love with tactics and decided to go the Top Gun route and not the test pilot route.

So I'll never get to space, but I will always be a huge fan of the space program.

And I am very thankful that the pursuit of those goals landed me in a hornet, which is exactly where I think I should be.

- [Narrator] And Kelly Latimer, who flew for the Air Force, NASA, Boeing, and is now one of the first commercial spaceship pilots at Virgin Galactic.

- So for me, I got into this career from that lifelong dream of wanting to be an astronaut.

I mean, I wanted to go into space ever since I could remember wanting to do anything, you know, wanting to ride that rocket out of the atmosphere and float around in space and then come back down.

But it's one thing to have a dream, it's another one to make it happen.

So, to make it happen, it really takes a plan and this has taken decades for me.

But it's each step of the way, you know, building your resume, building your experience.

And then, you know, relating back to being at first is something, it's also making yourself available and looking for those opportunities and that timing where it works out that your preparation is now matching with an opportunity.

Like for me to be here at Virgin Galactic and you know, get to fly these aircraft.

- [Narrator] Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission.

- Don't cut yourself short, if you wanna fly, you know, the world needs you, whether it's your country, the military or company, the world needs pilots today.

So I encourage people to look into it.

- [Narrator] Ellen Ochoa, the 11th director and only the second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.

- So much is going on at Johnson Space Center right now with the Artemis program and continuing with commercial space.

I really feel that JC is on a great path and I hope I was part of that reason.

- [Narrator] And pilot, author, inspiration speaker, International Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, Tammy Jo Shults.

- I think breaking through the glass ceiling, I don't know that it happens just once.

I think sometimes you have to do it with individuals along the way and motive and merit count, whether you're a woman or a man.

And especially when you're going into new territory, there is a lot of attention when you're the only green apple in a bushel of red.

But just making sure that you know, you know what you're doing, you know how to do it, you take the time to prepare.

So find what you're suited for and go for it, get started.

- [Narrator] Astronauts, commanders, fighters, heroes.

Like those that rose to great heights before them.

Persistence, knowledge, timing, and big dreams unlock amazing opportunities.

- My name is Regina Ray.

I've been at the Air Museum a little over four years, and currently I am the F-117 Pavilion Hangar Chief.

So I started at Lockheed Aircraft Services in Ontario, California.

Of course, in 33 years you have a number of positions, but mainly I was a project or program manager.

And so I went from Ontario when it closed up to Skunk Works in Palmdale and then I was there until the F-117 was notified it was going to be decommissioned.

And I was working modernization projects.

But classified programs happen all over the corporation.

Skunk Works or its real name is ADP, Advanced Development Projects.

ADP is the research and development arm of Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics company.

So that's where a lot of the deep classified programs are ongoing.

I've been involved with classified projects my entire career, not just at Skunk Works.

My love of aviation came from my mother.

My mother was born in 1924, so she was of age in World War II.

Like so many people in her generation, she chose to enlist as a part of her service to the country during World War II.

She joined the United States Coast Guard, that's a funny story, her and her best friend were both gung-ho to go to the Coast Guard recruiting office on a certain day at a certain time, my mom shows up at the office and her friend isn't there.

And I think to myself how different her life would've been had she chosen not to go through that door.

But she did and she was so proud of her service.

She was in the United States Coast Guard as a member of the Spurs.

And that is how I've tried to live my life based on the way she lived her life, is, you know, being brave is not the absence of fear, it's continuing despite the fear.

I wanted to be associated with aircraft.

And so I was associated with aircraft.

I was in the military aviation division of Lockheed for 33 years, so I got that fixed.

(Regina laughs) (soft music) - It's one thing to discuss inequality in aviation.

Only 16% of commercial pilots are women and just 11% of aerospace engineers are female.

And another to do something about it.

The International Air Transport Association, IATA is working to raise awareness of the need to improve female representation in the aviation industry.

With the initiative 25 by 2025, the group is taking an initial step to making the aviation industry more gender balanced.

With a large number of airlines and industry partners already committing to 25 By 2025, they are paving the way for an industry that recognizes female talent and creates opportunities for women in which they can thrive.

- Why are we so passionate and dedicated to closing the gender gap in our industry?

It's not only the right thing to do, but it makes good business sense.

And is important in fostering the future of our industry.

Companies where women are strongly represented at top leadership levels are also the ones that perform the best.

Research shows that companies that rank high in diversity are also more likely to attract top talent, improve custom and employee satisfaction, and lead to better decision making and ultimately, higher financial returns.

- Here at the Palm Springs Air Museum, we too are helping promote the women aviators of tomorrow.

Like Robin Hayes said, fostering the future of our industry, beginning with advancing and promoting education programs aimed at young girls and boys.

Grade school students learn the basics of flight, meet and interact with docents that fought for our freedoms.

Get up close and learn the stories behind the vintage planes that flew in World War II.

Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the Global War on Terror.

This year the Air Museum is stepping up and giving back to young female scholars through the introduction of the Palm Springs Air Museum's Young Science Professional Scholarship Fund.

The Scholarship Fund was created to provide technical, career minded individuals, the opportunity to develop professionally, civically and socially.

Two gifted students advanced to finalists and received $10,000 each towards their education goals.

- My name is Elizabeth Witte.

I live in Indio, California.

I was born in the Bay Area, but moved here when I was three.

So this is home to me.

- My name is Caitlyn Hill, I am 17 years old.

I attend Desert Mirage High School and I am in 12th grade.

About two years ago on December 4th, 2020, I was in a plane crash right outside these doors on three one, right.

It was from that experience that of course my life changed and I am still in recovery today.

From that I know that although I might not be flying on the grounds, I do wanna support those in the air.

But down here as an engineer, and that's absolutely fine, aviation is so broad that there's so many avenues that you can go under.

- When I was in sixth grade, my school, Saul Martinez Elementary came here on a field trip.

This book was given to me by a docent at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

He bought it for me actually because I was super interested and I kept asking a billion questions and afterwards he was like, "I'd want you to keep learning about this."

And so he let me pick out a book.

You can see my bad handwriting back then.

And I put my sticker on it.

And I've kept this book for, it's been around six years.

I've kept a book, I remember like, it has like probably chocolate stains in it.

I've read it so much.

And I just, it meant a lot to me.

He believed in me, he saw something in me, and he wanted me to continue learning about this, where there's not many opportunities where I live to learn about aviation.

And it meant a lot to me.

I am going to be finishing up my second year of engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University worldwide.

And this scholarship will help propel me further into my junior year in graduating.

And hopefully the next steps into getting a career in the aerospace industry.

- I have an older brother who's just started college.

He's a freshman.

And so we don't really know how I'm gonna be able to pay for college.

So this scholarship helps me go to a school that I genuinely want to go to and that's good for my major and opportunities.

So I don't have to limit myself based off financials.

- Caitlyn, you know, grew up and she was not always, she had identities for what she was, not always accepted by her peers, right.

And so instead of giving up, right, she became more resilient.

And it is really this resilience that has led her to be our salutatorian for Desert Mirage High School class of 2023.

So we're excited to have her and all more excited for all the things she's gonna be doing.

- The Palm Springs Air Museum is also proud to introduce an inspirational flight program for kids 12 to 17 to get their first flight in an aircraft.

- All right, you ready to start?

- Yeah.

- [Daniel] Here we go.

(upbeat music) - So my name is Sarah Navarro and I'm in AFJROTC in Cathedral City High School.

I've never been on a plane before, so today is my first time ever being in a plane.

I'm a little nervous, but I'll stick with it.

I feel like at first I'm a little nervous, but once I get used to it, it's gonna be perfectly fine.

So I'm ready for it.

So I have two older siblings a brother and a sister, and they've been on planes before, so I'm the last one to be on a plane, so.

- Today is a special treat.

You're gonna get to go up in our T-6 Texan North American built airplane.

And this was the airplane responsible for teaching fighter pilots, how to beat fighter pilots in World War II.

- we're out looking for prospective candidates, students who may wanna become pilots and don't exactly know how to get started.

And we want to offer 'em that first step and that first flight experience to see how they like it or not.

Sarah has no experience whatsoever in an airplane and she's getting her first ride today.

(airplane engine roars) - Wave at everybody.

(airplane engine roars) Not too bad, huh?

- Nope.

I thought it was gonna be a little bit worse, but it actually seems pretty high.

(upbeat music) - What you think?

- It looks so pretty, it's like, I feel like I'm right here.

I feel like I'm in a simulation or something.

- It's magic, isn't it?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) I can see my house from right here.

- Oh, cool.

- [Announcer] 83683 Incon Southern Park.

- We're gonna make our turn in.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Here we go.

(upbeat music) Woohoo.

Not too bad, huh?

- No.

(Daniel laughs) - It was perfectly fine.

I really liked that.

I will do it again.

It was so fun.

(Sarah laughs) It like it was so smooth and everything I thought it was gonna, like when we were going out, my stomach was gonna turn, but it didn't.

And it went so smooth and we went around.

And so we did the spin right here, like my stomach kind of like turned a little like it felt like I was going on a rollercoaster.

It was the best experience I could ever say I ever had.

I would want other kids to do it from AFJROTC.

I hope they're able to do it later on in the future with the the program you guys have started.

So thank you for giving me this experience.

I feel like deeply proud of myself for being the first person to be for the first fight because it's a big opportunity to get.

And I'm glad that like people chose me for it.

And I'm glad that you guys were able to do this.

(upbeat music) - Women have made a significant contribution to aviation.

Going back to Katherine Wright, sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Yes, she too flew.

Today women pilots fly for the airlines, fly in the military and in space, fly air races, helicopter mercy flights, command naval air bases, and so much more.

(gentle music) I asked some of the women featured today, if they could go back in time, what would you say to your teenage self?

Their responses were inspiring.

- To my teenage self, I would say, "Just keep your feet moving and keep going.

"And don't get so frustrated about being told no.

"As long as you've got your long range goal and focus, "then you can navigate around the obstacles."

And who knows that navigation may put you on an even better path.

- Oh my gosh, what would I tell my teenage self?

I would tell my teenage self to be bolder and to believe in myself more.

It goes back to the whole thing about self-confidence in building your self-confidence through achieving goals.

Learning to fly was a huge confidence builder for me.

I don't think that it's easy for young people to gain self-confidence in this world.

So I would definitely tell myself to have more confidence and believe in yourself more.

- I would tell a teenage version of me that whatever goal you have set for yourself, go after it and see what you can do to achieve it.

But you're not gonna get there alone.

So ensure that you are humble, ensure that you work hard, but ensure that you recognize that to get there, it's gonna take a lot of teamwork, a lot of engagement with peers, a lot of engagement with mentors, and then try to give back as you make accomplishments throughout your career and throughout your life.

Remember those people that helped you along the way.

And then turn around and help those that may have a goal that's similar or different.

If their goal is different from yours, that's fantastic.

See if you can point them in a direction that will help them reach out to the people and make the steps that they need to make to achieve their goal.

- Well, the first thing I would tell my teenage self is, "Yes, someday women will be allowed to be astronauts."

Because of course, at that time, not only was the astronaut career not open to women, but of course so many careers were not open to women at that time.

And I don't think I could have anticipated how much that would change in the next 10 years or so.

As I got older and went through college, if I'd realized how much things would've changed, I think maybe earlier I would've set higher goals for myself.

But fortunately, things happened at the right time for me to be able to participate in the amazing mission of NASA.

- What would I tell my teenage self if I had a chance?

To be honest, I'm not sure I'd say anything.

Every time that I hit a barrier, every time I turned left when I thought I needed to go right, I ended up not where I thought I wanted to be, but exactly where I needed to be.

And it has created this incredible life, my incredible life.

And I don't think I would change a single thing about any of it.

- I grew up wanting to be like Luke Skywalker and fight Maverick from Top Gun.

And it had nothing to do with their agenda.

I just wanted to do what they were doing.

And the important part was nobody told me that I couldn't.

And I think we've created this idea that little boys and little girls or especially little girls, think that they can't do stuff when they grow up.

And I really don't think that's the case.

I think the important part is just being supportive of their dreams and enabling them to achieve those dreams.

- I hope today's program has been inspiring to all young women, considering a career in aerospace.

There are many role models and mentors out there raising you up and welcoming you into their chosen field.

There are many programs available that encourage women pilots and many options to pay for flight school.

Together we can celebrate progress and offer to women and girls opportunities to explore aviation.

In the words of NASA's current female flight director, Charlie Blackwell Thompson.

"There are no boundaries.

"There are no limits."

So go out there and find your dream.

Reach for the stars, and perhaps change the world.

For the Palm Springs Air Museum, I am Gail O' Grady.

(upbeat music) (gate closes) (wheels reeling) - [Narrator] The following has been a Palm Springs Air Museum Production in association with Jones Agency.