Waterloo on the Grand

In late spring of 2014, emails had been circulated and Susan Wiltshire, a long time 99 with the First Canadian Chapter, had spread the word to 99s around Ontario that the women pilots of the Waterloo Region would host a "99s Meet & Greet" at the Runways Cafe, located at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.  Several members of the First Canadian Chapter and some from the Maple Leaf chapter came out to meet the potential new 99s - both long time pilots and several new student pilots. The group enjoyed a lovely meal, which was followed by a presentation on the 99s by Lesley Page.

The spark had taken hold and on May 29, 2014, an inaugural meeting was held with over 10 women pilots, with some direction by Susan Wiltshire. The decision was made that "YES", we wanted a chapter here in Waterloo Region. Chapter names were discussed and Waterloo On The Grand was voted on unanimously. An executive was chosen and our charter application completed, with 6 inaugural chapter members.

With the 99's International conference being held so soon afterward, we were fortunate to get our charter application when we did and it was approved. There was second Chapter meeting on June 19. It was meant to be a fly out to Tillsonburg, but was weathered out and, as true 99s, we still had a great time, enjoying breakfast and getting to know one another more.

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2024 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Waterloo On The Grand Chapter and membership has grown to over 

35 members with a marked increase over the last five years. Many of our members are student pilots but the Chapter is a diverse group with student pilots, recreational fun pilots, and professional commercial pilots.