Relief Wings was founded in 1940 by Ruth Rowland Nichols as a humanitarian air service for disaster relief. Consisting of private aircraft, volunteer medical professionals and a network of medical facilities, Relief Wings were able to contribute an effective air-ambulance service to the programme of civil defence. Relief Wings was organised and run by women, with women being eligible to participate in any of the roles available in the organisation. Chapters of Relief Wings were organised in 36 states of the USA. The slogan of Relief Wings was "Humanitarian Service by Air".