Life from 3,000+ feet above

When Elaine Morrow, of Buffalo, was a little girl, growing up with three brothers made her wish she could simply “fly like Superman to get away from them!” When she and her family lived in Duluth, her mother would tell her to go play outside and look at the sky, and Morrow would watch the planes passing by above her.

   “I was just fascinated with them,” Morrow shared. “My dad had also built me a swing, and I would pretend I could just fly off of it. Whenever we had an orange crate, I would build an airplane out of it; I never wanted a car, a truck, or a boat – it would always be an airplane!”

   In a time when the internet was yet to be invented, Morrow didn’t grow up learning about the few female pilots, like Amelia Earhart. Instead, she was repeatedly told “that’s not proper for a lady” and that she couldn’t be a pilot because she was a girl.

   So, Morrow put her flying dreams aside to work as a secretary, marry her high school sweetheart, Glen, and build a family. It wasn’t until her daughter graduated from college that she went back to school and earned her bachelor’s degree in management.

Becoming a pilot

   Morrow’s dreams of flying finally came true when returning home with her husband from their daughter’s graduation and realizing their home was a lot emptier.

   “We looked at each other and said, ‘Now it’s our turn!’” Morrow said. Glen had been working in civil air patrol and also had an interest in becoming a pilot.

   “Glen said, ‘I’m gonna get my pilot’s license,’” Morrow shared. “And I said, ‘No, you’re not! Not without me!’”

   While they couldn’t afford flying lessons, that didn’t stop them from pursuing their dream. In exchange for lessons from local instructor Terry Marsh, both Elaine and Glen worked at the Maple Lake Airport, completing tasks like washing airplanes, stuffing and mailing envelopes, and stocking charter planes with supplies.

   Morrow’s dedication to pursuing her dream paid off - both her and her husband became licensed pilots and would fly together for the next 35 years.

   “When I turned 40, it was either put up or shut up time!” Morrow said. “You can’t blame your parents all your life for telling you that you can’t do things. When you’re that age, you just decide, ‘If I’m ever going do it, I’m going to try!’”

   Morrow’s determination to fly not only proved to herself that she was capable, but it also opened the door to a community of women who had been told the same things she had when they were little girls who dreamed of flying.

The Ninety Nines

   Morrow discovered the Ninety Nines, an organization of female pilots, after a visit to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for Airventure, an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts.

   “I went to a meeting and remembered thinking, ‘I am too old for this,’” Morrow shared. “And here was a woman in her 60s who was hauling a plane out of the hangar and flying on her own! I thought, ‘If she can do it, I sure can!’”

   The Ninety Nines, whose name comes from the original 99 members, is an international group that includes licensed female pilots from 44 different countries, promoting “advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support, while honoring our unique history and sharing our passion for flight.”

   Though the organization may be unknown to those outside of the aviation community, it has been serving and supporting female pilots for decades. Amelia Earhart was the first president of the group from 1931-1933, an honor Morrow herself was elected to from 2004-2006.

   The group is more than aviation support, but a community of women supporting each other. When Morrow’s mother was battling brain cancer, the Ninety Nines were there to help Morrow, and were again by her side when her husband passed away.

   “The women you meet have a common bond, whether they’re a private pilot, doing this for charity, a corporate pilot, military pilot…there’s just such a love of aviation and nature, and being there for each other,” Morrow said.

Continuing her passion

   At 79 years old, Morrow’s time as a pilot has now shifted to supporting as a co-pilot. She is still active with the Buffalo Airport and EAA Young Eagles, and the Ninety Nines, passing on her passion of flying to younger generations and offering support to female pilots. Morrow offers her encouragement to those who had been told the same thing when sharing their dreams of flying and reminds everyone to look up and take in the nature around us.

   “When you see the world from 3,000 feet and up, it is gorgeous; there is nothing like it,” Morrow said. “So many people nowadays shut their curtains and keep their nose in their cell phones – they’re missing all that beauty out there.”