Jerrie Mock

Geraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock

Jerrie Mock in 1964
Born (1925-11-22)November 22, 1925
Newark, Ohio
Died September 30, 2014(2014-09-30) (aged 88)
Quincy, Florida
Occupation aviator, writer
Spouse(s) Russell Mock
Children Valerie Armentrout, Gary Mock, Roger Mock

Geraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock (November 22, 1925 – September 30, 2014) was the first woman to fly solo around the world, which she did in 1964. She flew a single engine Cessna 180 (registered N1538C) christened the "Spirit of Columbus" and nicknamed "Charlie." [1][2] The trip began March 19, 1964, in Columbus, Ohio, and ended April 17, 1964, in Columbus, Ohio,[3] and took 29 days, 21 stopovers and almost 22,860 miles (36,790 km).[4] She was subsequently awarded the Louis Blériot medal from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1965. In 1970 she published the story of her round-the-world flight in the book Three-Eight Charlie.[5] While that book is now out of print, a 50th anniversary edition was later published including maps, weather charts and photos.[5] Three-Eight Charlie is a reference to the call sign, N1538C, of the Cessna 180 Skywagon Mock used to fly around the world.[1] Before her death, Mock, mother of three children, resided in Quincy, Florida; northwest of the state capital, Tallahassee.[6]

Early life

Geraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock was born November 22, 1925 in Newark, Ohio.[7] During her childhood, she found that she had more in common with the boys. Her interest for flying was sparked when she was 7 years old when she and her father had the opportunity to fly in the cockpit of a Ford Trimotor airplane. In high school, she took an engineering course of which she was the only girl and decided flying was her passion. She graduated from Newark High School in 1943 and went on to attend Ohio State University.[7] She would leave her studies at OSU behind to wed her husband, Russell Mock in 1945.[8]

Accomplishments and recognition

Jerrie Mock's Spirit of Columbus, a Cessna 180

Official world aviation records: 1964–69

(Sanctioned and accepted by the National Aeronautic Association and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale)

1964

1965

1966

1968

1969

First woman to

Awards and honors

Legacy

A life-size bronze sculpture of Mock, sculpted by Renate Burgyan Fackler, was unveiled in the courtyard of The Works museum in Newark, Ohio on September 14, 2013.[1][10] Mock's younger sister, Susan Reid, modeled for the statue while wearing Mock's knit skirt, sweater, and leather shoes that she had worn on her round-the world flight.[1] According to Wendy Hollinger, the publisher who reissued Mock's book about her flight, Mock did not especially like skirts, but "was in a skirt because she thought it would be socially acceptable, especially in the Middle East." [1]

Mock’s Cessna 180 which she flew around the world, “The Spirit of Columbus,” hangs in the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia.[1] The Columbus chapter of Women in Aviation, International chose the chapter name Spirit of Columbus because of the name of Mock’s aircraft.[10]

The United States Air Force named a street in honor of Mock at Rickenbacker AFB (presently Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base and Rickenbacker International Airport) in Lockbourne, Ohio (near Columbus).

A plaque bearing Mock's accomplishments can be found in the Tallahassee Regional Airport's Aviation Wall of Fame in Tallahassee, Florida.

Death

Mock was found dead in her home in Quincy, Florida by a relative on September 30, 2014.[11]

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dean Narciso. "Trailblazing woman pilot honored in bronze in Newark". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Buchanan, Paul D. (2009-09-15). American Women's Rights Movement: A Chronology of Events and of Opportunities from 1600 to 2008. Branden Books. pp. 183–. ISBN 978-0-8283-2160-0. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  3. ↑ "Women Aviators". Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Mock, Jerrie: Three-Eight Charlie, First Edition, 1970. OCLC 97976, ASIN B007T093MK (paperback), ASIN B002KTC39K (hardcover)
  5. 1 2 "Three-Eight Charlie". Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Durden, Rick (1 October 2014). "Jerrie Mock Goes West". AVweb. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 Royster, Jacqueline Jones (2003). Profiles of Ohio Women, 1803-2003. Ohio University Press. p. 91.
  8. ↑ Colker, David. "Geraldine 'Jerrie' Mock dies at 88; first woman to fly solo around world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Flying Housewife" (PDF). Faa.gov. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "- The Newark Advocate - newarkadvocate.com". The Newark Advocate. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Rinehart, Earl (1 October 2014). "Jerrie Mock, first woman to fly solo around the globe, dies at 88". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 1 October 2014.

External links

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