Whirly-Girls: Worldwide Women Helicopter Pilots
An International Organization of Women Who Fly Rotary Aircraft
Jan 13, 2009
The Whirly-Girls was formed in 1955 with a mere 13 members - all qualified female helicopter pilots. Since then they have grown to become a diverse group of women spread throughout the world with one thing in common – they all hold licenses to fly helicopters.
What are The Whirly-Girls?
The Whirly-Girls organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3), educational and charitable organization dedicated to advancing women in helicopter aviation through the industry’s largest pool of annual scholarships, while providing women helicopter pilots a forum for the exchange of information and opportunities.
Membership is open to all women around the world who are rated helicopter pilots. As of 2008, there are more than 1,570 Whirly-Girls from 41 countries, two territories (Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands), one crown dependency (Channel Islands) and one special administrative region.
History of the Whirly-Girls
Jean Ross Howard founded the Whirly-Girls in 1955. She wanted to develop an organization where female rotary pilots could share information and camaraderie. She got together with 12 other women helicopter pilots from France, Germany and the United States. One of these was well known German helicopter and glider pilot Hanna Reitsch, who was Hitler’s test pilot during the Second World War.
The association grew gradually as more women began to fly helicopters. Members came from all over the world, and flew every type of helicopter. Some flew for fun, others were commercial helicopter pilots and instructors, still others flew for the armed forces.
Famous past members include Jacqueline Auriol of France, Sheila Scott of the UK, and Jerrie Cobb of the USA. Well known current members include Jennifer Murray, who was the first woman to fly around the world solo in a helicopter, and more recently flew to both the North and South Poles in a rotary aircraft, gaining another world record.
What Do the Whirly-Girls Do?
The organization has worked over the years to promote helicopter safety, and for the establishment of hospital and industrial heliports. They promote interest in helicopters among women, to a large extent through a scholarship fund to train women pilots to qualify for helicopter ratings. In a more general sense, they promote women in aviation as safe, competent and professional pilots.
There is also a useful social aspect to the organization. They hold regular meetings, known as ‘hoverings’. There is a main annual event every year, usually in the USA, and smaller hoverings in other places at other times. These provide the opportunity for female helicopter pilots, still in a minority, to meet each other, socialize, and network.
As pioneers in aviation for women, the Whirly-Girls are of tremendous historical interest. But they are also a modern, forward-looking organization, providing a real service to women helicopter pilots worldwide, and to the wider community in general.
Source
Hovering: a History of the Whirly-Girls, Henry M Holden, Black hawk Publishing Company 1994
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