FEMALE PILOTS TO REUNITE IN CAPE

Almost four decades ago, when Lois Feigenbaum and Marge Loiseau learned to fly, piloting wasn't a popular pursuit for women.

Feigenbaum was married to a pilot who encouraged her girlhood dream to be "just like Amelia Earhart."

When she tried to register for lessons, the flight instructor at the Carbondale, Ill., airport wasn't quite as encouraging: He told her to go home and play bridge.

Feigenbaum climbed back in her car, drove to the Williamson County, Ill., airport, and took her first flying lesson.

Loiseau, also married to a pilot, asked for new living room furniture one Christmas. Santa gave her flying lessons instead.

The two women were brought together by the Cape Girardeau Area Chapter of the Ninety-Nines. The international club, named for the 99 women who showed up for the first organizational meeting in 1929, is for women pilots only. Amelia Earhart was its first president.

Feigenbaum now lives in Berryman, Mo., and Loiseau remains in Cape Girardeau, but the two will reunite with other Ninety-Nines at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Aug. 17.

That date is the 30th anniversary of an event that helped keep the airport open.

In 1966, the city of Cape Girardeau tried to pass a bond issue for badly needed airport navigational equipment. It failed.

The Ninety-Nines and others banded together to bring attention to the airport. They worked to get the Powder Puff Derby, an annual transcontinental airplane race for women, to make a stop in Cape Girardeau.

The planes stopped on Aug. 17, 1966, and the area stopped to watch.

"Women who flew then were a novelty," Loiseau said. "The fact that there were 120 of them here just blew people's heads off."

Bands played, the mayor made a speech and residents provided free meals and lodging for the pilots.

That fall, the airport bond issue passed by a wide margin. Some of the navigational equipment purchased still is in use.

Feigenbaum and Loiseau couldn't stand seeing all those pilots having so much fun in 1966, so they joined the race in 1967. Feigenbaum was the pilot and Loiseau her co-pilot and navigator. Their plane was sponsored by Mattel and all their clothing provided by Country Set.

Pictures from the race show two women in dresses, gloves and high heels taking off in a Mooney Super 21. They finished 35th out of 120 teams.

The two raced again in 1972, this time in a red, white and blue Cessna 172 provided by Mattel. They placed 48th out of 92 entries and caught the attention of television news anchor Walter Cronkite, who featured them during a broadcast.

Still, women weren't allowed to fly commercial aircraft at that time. That breakthrough was in 1976, coincidentally when Feigenbaum was international president of the Ninety-Nines. During World War II, female pilots were allowed to train men and deliver military airplanes overseas, but not fly into battle.

"All we wanted to do was be hired for our qualifications," Feigenbaum said. "And we feel we are very well qualified."

Feigenbaum, now 67, went on to be the 77th woman in the world to receive an Airline Transport Pilot's License. She has competed in the last 10 Air Race Classics. Her last race finished two weeks ago, and she placed third out of 55 planes.

Loiseau, now 65, gave up actively flying and now serves on the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Advisory Board. She is considering taking lessons to make her license current again.

They both encourage young women to experience the thrill of piloting, and their enthusiasm for flying is apparent.

"Go for it," Louiseau said. "Absolutely."

Any interested member of the public may attend the anniversary luncheon at noon on Aug. 17. For additional information, call the airport manager's office at 334-6230.