Ninety Nines visit Warwick Municipal Airport

WARWICK - It was perfect flying weather and on Saturday, Sept. 9, Amy Worthington and Jessica Stearns flew a private airplane from Mercer County Airport near Trenton, New Jersey, to Warwick Municipal Airport. Worthington, a commercially licensed pilot, is the owner of the single engine Piper Cherokee. She and Stearns, her passenger who is a retired Continental Airlines captain, are members of the North Jersey Chapter of the “Ninety Nines,” an International organization of women pilots. Like some others in their group, who also live beyond a short driving distance, they had flown to Warwick to enjoy their chapter’s annual picnic and meeting hosted by the local airport as a community service. Worthington, a New Jersey realtor, who uses her airplane to photograph her more impressive listings from the air, has about 1,000 hours of flight experience. Having someone like Stearns, who is also a Certified Flight Instructor and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designated Examiner, sitting alongside, was also an opportunity for Worthington to complete her mandatory bi-annual flight check. Stearns, by the way, who has almost 19,000 hours of flight time, is celebrating her 50th anniversary as a licensed pilot. And 40 of those years have been in professional flying. Amelia Earhart, its first president, and 98 other early female aviators established the “Ninety Nines” in 1929. The organization, named after the number of original charter members, is an international non-profit organization of licensed professional and private women pilots. “We also offer scholarships for flight training,” said North Jersey Chapter Chair Marion Starer. “Our $1,800 Scholarship is open to any male or female student pilot with an earnest desire to further aviation achievements.” The scholarship deadline is Oct. 28 and any interested student pilot should contact the Ninety Nines at: northjersey99s@hotmail.com.