When winds prevented our first fly-in to Camarillo, we didn’t let it keep us down! The LA 99s met for lunch and an exclusive movie screening of Breaking Through the Clouds.

Though our first Fly-In was scheduled for Sunday, we felt apprehensive about gusty afternoon winds and pilots made a safe call to stay local. Twelve of us (and one 49 1/2er) met at the Spitfire Grill for a leisurely afternoon lunch and getting to know each other in the warm sun. Then, Chapter Secretary, Benedikta invited us to her friend, Russ Landau’s hangar to see his beautiful Baron.

From there we moseyed over to the Museum of Flying for a delightful screening of Breaking Through the Clouds, about the first transcontinental all women’s air derby that left from Clover Field in Santa Monica, in 1929! It was an inspiration to see such a diverse group of ladies with friendly competitive spirits and glowing smiles as they hopped in their planes for an exhausting 9 days to Cleveland, Ohio. I think many of us saw pieces of ourselves in those courageous ladies. A group of us had the pleasure of sitting down with Heather Taylor, the producer and writer, to answer questions about the film and her experience with decades of research that went into such a fantastic story.

Special Thanks to Spitfire Grill for accommodating our last-minute lunch party, Russ Landau for letting a bevy of ladies descend on his hangar, and Dan Ryan at the Museum of Flying for putting together a great movie screening. A very special thank you to Heather Taylor, who saw the need to tell this story and brought it to life onscreen!