Beyond The Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race

BEYOND THE POWDER is a documentary film that follows the female pilots of the 2014 Air Race Classic racers as they make their way across the country, while telling the story of the first women's cross-country air race of 1929, also known as the Powder Puff Derby. The first Women's Air Derby in 1929-which was comprised of 20 women, including Amelia Earhart-was flown from Santa Monica to the finish line in Cleveland, kicking off the National Air Races. The country watched as these brave women made history flying cross-country, breaking into a competition that was thought to be for men only. They encountered sabotage, death, and all the difficulties of flying at the dawn of aviation. Today the Powder Puff Derby continues as the Air Race Classic, with modern day racers carrying out the legacy and the adventurous spirit of the original racers. Showing that they were more than just their make-up, the original Derby contestants have inspired those flying today to truly push beyond the powder.

Duration: 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 0


Watch Beyond The Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race - Clips, Episodes & Previews




NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

This Old House | E6 | Carolina Comeback | Community Carpenters
Ask This Old House | E6 | Sustainable Grass, Driveway Lights | Ask This Old House
Antiques Roadshow | Vintage Phoenix 2025, Hour 2
American Masters | Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore [ASL]
Secrets of the Dead | The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
The Caverns Sessions | Armchair Boogie
King of Them All: The Story of King Records | King of Them All
Austin City Limits | The Marías
Big Cats 24/7 | Succession
Maigret | Episode 1: The Lazy Burglar, Part 1
The Gold | Episode 1
Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan | Reclaiming Peru's Glaciers
Brian and Maggie | Episode 2
Great Performances | The Magic of Grace Bumbry
Hispanic Heritage Awards | 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards
Cook's Country | Italian-American Feast
America's Test Kitchen | Make-Ahead Masterclass
American Experience | The Presidents: FDR (Part 2)
Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect | Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect
Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs | Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs
POV | DRIVER
Unforgotten | Episode 2
The Marlow Murder Club | Episode 2
The Great American Recipe | The Grand Finale
Walking with Dinosaurs: A Viewer's Guide | Walking with Dinosaurs: A Viewer's Guide
Pompeii: The New Dig | House of Treasures
Professor T | Overboard
The Last Ecstatic Days | The Last Ecstatic Days
The Carnival of More Animals | The Carnival of More Animals
Atomic People | Atomic People
Cinema Nomad | Bosnia & Herzegovina
Wisdom Keepers: Healing a Divided People | John Vervaeke - Finding Meaning Through our Common Connections
The Future of Farming | The Future of Farming
Kerry: Tides of Time | Episode 1
Impossible Town | Impossible Town
Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty | Rivalry