Jerrie Mock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerrie Mock
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Mock on April 17, 1964
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| Born |
Geraldine Lois Fredritz
November 22, 1925 Newark, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | September 30, 2014 (aged 88) Quincy, Florida, U.S.
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| Occupation | Aviatrix, Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Russell Mock |
| Children | Valerie Armentrout, Gary Mock, Roger Mock |
Jerrie Mock (born November 22, 1925, died September 30, 2014) was an amazing American pilot. She was the first woman to fly a plane all by herself around the entire world!
Jerrie flew a special plane called the Spirit of Columbus. It was a small, single-engine Cessna 180 airplane. She nicknamed her plane "Charlie." Her incredible journey started on March 19, 1964, in Columbus, Ohio. She landed back in Columbus on April 17, 1964.
The flight took 29 days, almost 12 hours. She made 21 stops along the way and flew nearly 22,860 miles (36,790 km). Another pilot, Joan Merriam Smith, also started a similar flight around the same time. The media watched closely to see who would finish first. Jerrie Mock was the first to complete the trip.
Her adventure is told in a book called Racing to Greet the Sun. Jerrie also wrote her own book about the flight, titled Three-Eight Charlie. This name came from her plane's special code, N1538C. Jerrie Mock received the Louis Blériot medal in 1965 for her amazing flight. She was a mother of three children and lived in Quincy, Florida.
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Early Life and Dreams
Geraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock was born on November 22, 1925. She grew up in Newark, Ohio. From a young age, Jerrie felt more comfortable playing with boys.
Her love for flying began when she was just seven years old. She got to ride in the cockpit of a Ford Trimotor airplane with her father. In high school, she took an engineering class. She was the only girl in the class! This experience made her realize that flying was her true passion.
Jerrie graduated from Newark High School in 1943. She then went to Ohio State University. In 1945, she left college to marry her husband, Russell Mock.
Flying Around the World
Jerrie Mock's historic flight started and ended at the Port Columbus Airport in Ohio. A newspaper called The Columbus Dispatch helped her get money for the trip.
She flew eastward, crossing many countries like Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. After a tough flight over the Atlantic Ocean, she landed in Morocco. The president of the Aero Club of Morocco greeted her. She spent the night in a French home. Jerrie said she "danced in marble palaces" that night.
Later, Jerrie flew to Saudi Arabia. She landed at Dhahran Airport. In her book, she wrote that a crowd of men looked puzzled when she landed. One man came to her plane and shouted that there was "no man" flying it. This made the crowd cheer loudly. Jerrie was quite a sight in Saudi Arabia, where women were not even allowed to drive cars until 2017.
In Egypt, she accidentally landed at a secret military base instead of the main Cairo Airport. Traveling the world gave Jerrie new ideas and experiences. When flying over Vietnam, she noticed: "Somewhere not far away a war was being fought, but from the sky above, all looked peaceful."
Amazing Achievements
Jerrie Mock set many official world aviation records. These records were approved by important groups like the National Aeronautic Association.
First Woman to Achieve These Feats
- Fly solo around the world.
- Fly around the world in a single-engine plane.
- Fly from the U.S. to Africa across the North Atlantic.
- Fly the Pacific Ocean in a single-engine plane.
- Fly the Pacific Ocean from West to East.
- Fly both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- Fly the Pacific Ocean in both directions.
Awards and Special Honors
Jerrie Mock received many awards for her incredible flights. Some of these include:
- The Federal Aviation Agency Gold Medal for Exceptional Service.
- The Ohio Governor’s Award.
- The Louis Bleriot Silver Medal, a world-wide award.
- The Amelia Earhart Memorial Award in 1964.
- The Pilot-of-the-Year Award in 1964.
On September 14, 2013, the mayor of Newark, Ohio, declared it "Jerrie Mock Day."
Her Lasting Legacy
A life-size bronze statue of Jerrie Mock stands in Newark, Ohio. It was unveiled on "Jerrie Mock Day" in 2013. Jerrie's younger sister helped the artist by wearing Jerrie's actual clothes from her flight. Jerrie wore a skirt because she thought it would be more accepted in places like the Middle East.
Jerrie Mock's famous plane, the Spirit of Columbus, is now on display. You can see it at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian. In 2007, Jerrie visited her plane. She was very happy to see "Charlie" looking like it was flying again.
The United States Air Force even named a street after Jerrie Mock. It is at Rickenbacker AFB near Columbus. There is also a plaque honoring her at the Tallahassee Regional Airport in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2022, Jerrie Mock was added to the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
Her Final Flight
Jerrie Mock passed away at her home in Quincy, Florida, on September 30, 2014. With the help of a volunteer pilot, her ashes were returned to the sky. This was her final flight in a Cessna 180, just like her beloved "Charlie."
See also
