Probably the best known air race was the National Air Race. Two other popular races of the times were the Bendix and Thompson air races. The Thompson Trophy Race was a free-for-all, closed circuit, pylon race. The 1929 Cleveland Bendex Air Races included the first women's air race, The Women's Air Derby, which started in Santa Monica, California and ended in Cleveland, Ohio. Will Roger's dubbed the women's race the Powder Puff Derby. The name stuck and today's the current trans-continental women's air race, the Air Race Classic, is still known as the Powder Puff Derby.

The Cleveland Air Races continued until 1939 when they were suspended because of World War II, and were not held again until 1951. The Bendix Trophy race, established in 1921, was a trans-continental race divided into two segments. The competitors started in California, stopping in Cleveland for pylon race events, before continuing on to the East Coast for the second half of the race.

At the end of the 1929 Women's Air Derby, the women contestants gathered under the bleachers at the Cleveland airport to talk about the problems they were having in trying to fly. They decided to form an organization to help each other. At the time, there were 117 licensed women pilots in the United States. A letter was sent to all 117 women stating that they could be part of a new organization for women pilots if they sent back a dollar with their reply. Ninety-nine women sent back their dollar and the third oldest aviation organization in the U.S., The Ninety-Nines, was born on November 17, 1929.

From not being allowed to fly in the Bendix Race in 1929 to winning some of the top races by the mid 30s, women pilots made astounding progress. In 1936, Louise Thaden, with co-pilot Blanche Noyes, won the Bendix Air Race and Laura Ingalls came in second -- beating all the top men racers of the day.

Today, the top three holders of world aviation records are all women. The first is Las Vegas resident Marie McMillan, who holds 328 U.S. and 328 World Aviation records, for a total of 656 records, more than any other person in the world. The second is Brooks Knapp with 210, and the third is Jackie Cochran with 130.

Mardell Haskins is a 65 years old widow with 8 children, 25 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. She lives on Lake Mead near Overton, Nevada, is a cross country air race pilot and retired construction heavy equipment operator, and a member of The Ninety-Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots. She works with students and has a Scout Aviation Explorer Unit in Overton. She's the Founder and Chairman of Overton Airport Day (10 years) which gives free airplane rides to students, ages 8-17 called Young Eagles Flights. They have flown over 1,000 students. Mardell also does a lot of speaking at schools and organizations. She'll be speaking at a math forum for girls ages 8-10 in Erie, Penn in May. Mardell Haskins has organized women pilots groups for 99s in Brazil, Hungary, and Germany. She does a lot of international travel for the 99s and will be flying in a race in New Zealand in March and April of 2004.