GO, SPEED RACERS! The 1929 Women's Air Derby

SPEED . . . SKILL . . . SABOTAGE? In August 1929, twenty pilots took off from Santa Monica in a historic and thrilling air race. The all-female lineup—including big names like Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes, and Louise Thaden—hopped from city to city across the U.S. on their way to the finish line in Cleveland. Though it was dismissed by some at the time as the "Powder Puff Derby," the Women's Air Derby of 1929 was a major race between world-class pilots. It was also a national sensation at a time when pilots like Earhart and Barnes were genuine celebrities. And as if the race itself wasn't exciting enough, rumors of sabotage swirl to this day... Today on AirSpace: Matt and Emily are joined by aeronautics curator Caroline Tapp to learn all about the Women's Air Derby of 1929. Listen to find out who won, what happened along the way, and how the derby changed the way people thought about women pilots. Thanks to our guests in this episode: Caroline Tapp , Aeronautics Curator, National Air and Space Museum Find the transcript for this episode and more information at s.si.edu/AirSpaceS11E10 .

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GO, SPEED RACERS! The 1929 Women's Air Derby is an episode from AirSpace by National Air and Space Museum.

This episode is 27:14 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

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