History of Women Fly Project
During the summer of 1989, two women
artists visited the Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in and convention in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. They were disappointed that in all of the celebration of
the history and future of aviation, there was no mention of women’s roles.
So in 1990 they decided to try an
experiment.
They
created a t-shirt design featuring a woman pilot from the 1930’s emblazoned
with Women Fly, and returned to Oshkosh. The message was simple, the response
overwhelming. Women Fly was more than a t-shirt. It was a platform to encourage women and girls to follow their dreams.
As with many small businesses, Women Fly was labor intensive for the amount of profit. Somehow each time it was on the verge of closing, a new owner appeared who had decided to save it.
In February of 2021, Cheryl Mohrmann became the 4th proud new owner of Women Fly!
Cheryl Mohrmann
“Sometimes you know in your heart that it should have been you. That’s the way I felt when I saw the Women Fly apparel in 2010. At age 55, I had finally started flying lessons and it was the first hat I bought” says Cheryl. Being I was a life long graphic artist, the Women Fly business really interested me. I love the name Women Fly because it is a positive statement about all women. It’s a compliment. The time is right for Women Fly. Now more than ever, the general public is interested in learning about aviation, and my store is educational, fun, and geared to all women.
Women still make up less than 10% of total pilots. We need more women pilots and more women in many other aviation careers. I think Women Fly can help with that. Let’s start the Women Fly movement now!
The day I soloed at W29 Bay Bridge Airport in Maryland. 10/28/2010