The Jerrie Mock Story
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AIRMAIL CARRIER CARDS CELEBRATING JERRIE’S RECORD-BREAKING CLOSED-COURSE SPEED RECORD ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1966; HER RECORD NONSTOP FLIGHT FROM HONOLULU TO COLUMBUS, OHIO, ON APRIL 10, 1966; AND HER CLOSED-COURSE DISTANCE RECORD ON JUNE 29, 1968
Jerrie Mock collection
JERRIE WITH THE AERO COMMANDER PLANE WITH WHICH SHE SET THE WORLD CLOSED-COURSE SPEED RECORD
Reprinted with permission from the Columbus Dispatch
Jerrie had a compassionate heart, but she also had a competitive spirit. “I took or overtook twenty-one world records,” she had said.11 According to the National Aeronautics Association, six of her records still stood in 2014. Jerrie has had many accomplishments in her lifetime, and it all began with her world-record flight around the globe. But Jerrie Mock never became a household name as did Amelia Earhart. Always humble, she never sought the spotlight, but only yearned to follow her dreams.
As a little girl, Jerrie believed she could do anything she set her mind to. When she became a young adult, she envisioned traveling around the world. “Let’s just say that along the way I became practical and believed in the lie—that girls couldn’t do things,” she said. “And then one day I said—I’m going to do it. And I did it.”12 When asked if she had been able to see all the exotic places she had read about as a child, she just smiled and said, “I rode a camel, saw the pyramids, and had tea in a teahouse of the King of Morocco. But because the flight was a race, I couldn’t stay long in any one place.”13
JERRIE WITH AUTOGRAPH-SEEKING NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS
Reprinted with permission from the Columbus Dispatch
Jerrie Mock passed away peacefully with loved ones by her side on September 30, 2014, in her home in Quincy, Florida. Shortly before her death, Jerrie made her final flight plan. She had asked to be flown over Ball Point State Park and Alligator Point in Florida, an area in which she had enjoyed family vacations, then have her ashes dropped from an airplane into the Gulf of Mexico. She wanted the memorial to take place on her favorite day of the year, April 17. Due to stormy weather, Jerrie’s final flight was delayed until April 22, 2015. A replica of Jerrie’s beloved Charlie escorted the aerial funeral procession.
THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE HONORED JERRIE WITH A STREET AT RICKENBACKER AFB, LOCKBOURNE, OHIO
Susan Reid collection
Jerrie Mock, just an ordinary person, leads us to believe that when you set your mind to it, with hard work and determination, anything is possible. She had once said, “When I was a little girl, I used to be thrilled when I’d read about things like this, not a flight specifically but something like this. Always, I had the feeling that I was supposed to do something special, that I must really. So now I have.”14
DID YOU KNOW?
Governor James Rhodes named Jerrie “Ohio’s Golden Eagle,” and Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner named April 17 “Jerrie Mock Day.” Jerrie preferred not to celebrate birthdays, and she never bothered to make note of her wedding anniversary, but on April 17, she happily celebrated the day her dreams came true, the day she landed at Port Columbus, and became the first woman to fly solo around the world. Happy Jerrie Mock Day!
BLUE SKIES ALWAYS
Jerrie’s Timeline
1925 November 22: Geraldine “Jerrie” Fredritz is born in Newark, Ohio.
1932 Summer: Jerrie takes her first plane ride at a local festival.
1943 September 27: Jerrie begins classes at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
1945 March 21: Jerrie marries her high school sweetheart, Russell Charles “Russ” Mock.
1946 November 6: Jerrie’s first child, Roger, is born.
1947 November 8: Jerrie’s second son, Gary, is born.
1952 Russ and Jerrie purchase their first plane, a 1946 Luscombe, named Tweety Bird.
1954 December 17: Jerrie attends OSU Department of Commerce.
1956 September: Jerrie makes her first solo cross-country flight to Kelley’s Island in Lake Erie.
1958 Summer: Jerrie obtains her private pilot’s license.
1960 May 4: Jerrie’s only daughter, Valerie, is born.
1961 Jerrie manages Price Field Airport. She partners with Eugene “Whitey” Jost and forms the Jost & Mock Aero Services.
1962 With a friend, Alfred J. Baumeister, Russ and Jerrie purchase a Cessna 180. That same year Jerrie contacts the NAA and learns that no woman has officially flown around the world.
1964 January 28: Jerrie’s passport is issued.
March 19: Jerrie begins her attempt to become the first woman to fly solo around the world.
April 17: Jerrie lands at Port Columbus Airport as the first woman to fly solo around the world after flying twenty-nine days and 22,860 miles.
July 15: Jerrie flies in a supersonic F-101 Voodoo jet fighter.
1966 April 9–10: Jerrie sets a record for nonstop straight-line flight for women: 4,528 miles.
July 1–2: Jerrie sets a record for nonstop flight over a closed course: 3,750 miles.
September 28: Jerrie sets a 500-kilometer closed-course speed record: 206.7 miles per hour.
1968 June 28–29: Jerrie sets a world closed-course record for speed over a recognized course: 4,085 miles.
1969 October 30: Jerrie sets nine records in eleven days as she delivers and donates her Cessna P-206 to a missionary priest in Papua New Guinea.
1970 January 1: Jerrie’s book, Three-Eight Charlie, is published by Lippincott.
1979 Jerrie and Russ divorce.
1990 November 1: Gary Mock dies in Tallahassee, Florida.
1991 March 8: Russell Mock dies.
1992 June: Jerrie moves to Quincy, Florida.
2007 November 22: Roger Mock dies in Havana, Florida.
2014 April 17: A life-size bronze sculpture of Jerrie Mock is unveiled at Port Columbus International Airport, and Jerrie receives Congressional recognition in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of her historic flight around the world.
September 30: Jerrie dies in Quincy, Florida.
October 13: Jerrie is inducted into the Columbus Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio.
2015 December 17: First Flight Society, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, chooses Jerrie as a person outstanding in the field of aviation, nationally and internationally.
Jerrie’s Achievements & Awards
“Firsts”
First woman to fly across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
First woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean from west to east
First woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean in a single-engine plane
First woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean in both directions
First woman to fly from the United States to Africa via the North Atlantic
First woman to fly solo around the world
First woman to land a plane in Saudi Arabia
Medals and Awards
Aero Classic Aviation Progress Award
Aero Club Special Award, Wadsworth, Ohio
Amelia Earhart Memorial Award
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Special Award
Citation of Wichita, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce
Columbus Area of Commerce Award of the Year
Columbus Area of Commerce Special Award for Service to the Community
Columbus, Ohio, Hall of Fame
Columbus Transportation Club Special Award
Experimental Aircraft Association Special Award
Federal Aviation Agency Gold Medal for Exceptional Service
Glenn Hammond Curtiss Silver Medal, Pittsburgh OX-5 Club
Kansas 99s Special Recognition Medallion
Licking County Historical Society, Award of Appreciation
Louis Bleriot Silver Medal
Milestones in Manned Flight Trophy, Trans World Airlines
National Aviation Trades Association Special Award
National Pilots’ Association Pilot-of-the Year Award
Newark, Ohio, Hall of Fame
Ohio Aviation Trades Association Spar
ky Award
Ohio Governor’s Award
Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame
Phi Mu Chapter of Spokane, Washington, Special Award
Special Award of Bexley Civic Association
Sports Woman of the Year, Columbus Citizen-Journal
Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame
Women’s Aero Association of Wichita Award
The United States Air Force named a street (Jerrie Mock Avenue) in honor of Mock at Rickenbacker AFB (presently Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base and Rickenbacker International Airport) in Lockbourne, Ohio, located near Columbus.
Keys to the Cities
Bexley, Ohio
Burlington, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Erie, Pennsylvania
Las Vegas, Nevada
St. Louis, Missouri
Toledo, Ohio
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita, Kansas
Xenia, Ohio
Glossary
ADF (automatic direction finder): a radio compass used for long-range navigation, which receives both a ground-station-identification signal and a direction signal that cause the needle to point toward that ground station
afterburners: a device used to increase the thrust of an engine by burning additional fuel in the hot exhaust gases
altitude: the height of a thing above a reference point, such as sea level or the earth’s surface
autopilot: a computerized system that flies an airplane automatically on a preset course and at a preset altitude without the pilot handling the controls
aviatrix (pl. aviatrices): a woman pilot
Buckeye State: a nickname for the state of Ohio
cablegram: a message transmitted by telegraph
caviar: the roe (eggs) of a large fish, often eaten as a delicacy
checklist: a list of things or tasks to be checked off as each one is completed
circumnavigate: to sail or fly completely around something
clearance: the permission for a vehicle or an aircraft to proceed
closed course: a circuit that starts and finishes in the same spot
cockpit: the space within an airplane set apart for the pilot and/or copilot to sit and fly the plane
component: a part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle
Consolan (consolidated [low- or medium-frequency] long-range aid to navigation): a long-range navigational system designed basically for ships, but which can be used by aircraft through the ADF
consulate: a government office established in a foreign country to represent the interests of that government and its citizens there
cowl (or cowling): a removable metal covering over an aircraft engine
customs: a government department or agency that collects the taxes on imported goods and checks the legal papers of visitors from other countries
dead reckoning: a calculation to determine position using course, speed, time, and distance to be traveled
dialect: a variation of a language whose pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary may differ from that of the standard language of the culture
foggles: goggles worn by a pilot during instrument flight training, which blind the pilot to everything but the instrument panel
gale-force winds: a wind having a speed of approximately thirty-two to sixty-three miles per hour
IFR (instrument flight rules): regulations under which flights are conducted when visibility is poor
low ceiling: a layer of low clouds
knot: a unit of speed for one nautical mile per hour (or 1.15 miles per hour)
magneto: a self-contained ignition system that uses magnets to create a spark to burn fuel
nautical mile: a unit of length used in sea and air navigation, based on the length of one minute of arc of a great circle, especially an international and U.S. unit equal to 6,076 feet
navigator: a device or person that calculates and directs a course
navigation maps: maps drawn up to plan a route or direction of travel
rice paddy (pl. rice paddies): a small, level flooded field used to grow rice in southern and eastern Asia
rickshaw: a two-wheeled carriage pulled along by a person
sari: an outer garment of lightweight cloth with one end wrapped about the waist to form a skirt and the other draped over the shoulder or head
squall: a violent change in weather caused when cold air replaces warm air
statute mile: a unit of length used for land travel, equal to 5,280 feet
strut: a bar or brace to support a structure from the side
sundial: a simple timekeeping device in which the shadow cast by a vertical pole is used to indicate the time of day
surveillance radar approach: an instrument-landing approach to a field following directions given by the tower controller who is watching the aircraft on a radar scope
tarmac: a term used to refer to paved areas at airports
throttle: a lever or pedal that regulates the fuel-air mixture and thus controls the speed of the engine
visual flight rules: fair conditions under which a pilot can navigate using landmarks, the ground, and the clouds
Acknowledgments
FIRST, I’D like to thank the amazing Jerrie Mock for inviting me into her home and sharing her incredible story with me. I’d also like to thank my lifelong friend, Carol Neale, for graciously offering to “ride alongside” me every step of the way as I wrote this book. You made the whole process fun—from sorting out photos, to reading first drafts, and taking the “road trip” with me to visit Jerrie. And thanks to Eddie Mock, Jerrie’s grandson, who made Carol and me feel at home and helped us with a big smile and generous spirit. Richard Fauble, host of the McFarlin House, also made us feel at home away from home in Quincy, Florida.
Special thanks to my mom and former librarian, Fran Roe Bono, who sharpened up her computer skills and helped me with research. Thanks to my mother-in-law, Florence Pimm, for believing in me and encouraging me to chase after this project from the very beginning.
Joshua Alexander, thanks so much for meeting me at the airport, helping me navigate the world of aeronautics, sharing your love of flying, and for answering my many phone calls and texts. Thanks also to Ken Blalock for sharing your expertise in navigation and to Dale Ratcliff for your assistance in everything aviation and for sharing your love for the Lord.
Hugs sent to Susan Reid, Jerrie’s younger sister, for spending countless hours showing photos and sharing family stories, and for graciously giving me a tour of your hometown of Newark, Ohio. Thanks for your friendship and for reading the first draft with the eyes of a teacher. Most of all, thanks for always believing in this book. Your enthusiasm was priceless!
A special thanks to Wendy Hollinger, Dale Ratcliff, and Judy Blair of Phoenix Graphix for formatting and donating all of their incredible photos and taking so much of their time and talents to make this book come alive. Wendy, Dale, and I want to shout Jerrie’s story from the rooftops so more and more people will hear of the humble and brave Jerrie Mock and her historic feat of 1964.
I also want to give a big thank you to my wonderful critique group in central Ohio—Margaret Peterson-Haddix, Jenny Patton, Linda Stanek, Linda Gerber, Amjed Qamar, and Erin MacLellan. I am blessed to be a part of such an amazing group. Thanks to Mary Biscuso and the helpful and friendly crew at the Dublin library, Cheryl Lubow from the State Library of Ohio, Nick Taggart from the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and Jennifer Lusetti from the Licking County Historical Society for all of your research assistance. Thanks to my early readers, Amy King, Lisa Koch, Shirley-Brooks Jones, Jill Nelson, Susan Reid, my sister Kathleen O’Connor, and Dr. Don Lewis for your helpful comments. Thanks to my friend and neighbor, Donna Miller Drake, for lending me your camera for the day. And thanks for the investigative work of Tanya Anderson, Eddie Mock, and Shirley Brooks-Jones.
I’d like to thank my family, especially my husband, Ed, for putting up wit
h me as I became more and more obsessed with the story of Jerrie Mock. The more facts I uncovered, the more amazed and intrigued I became, and the more time I spent researching and writing. Even my grandsons Tommy and Sammy began to wonder if Jerrie Mock was a part of the family!
I am thankful for my editor, Michelle Houts, for always giving great advice and for working so hard, but most of all for her friendship. I am much obliged to Chiquita Babb for her enthusiasm and diligence in editing this story. And a great big thanks to Gillian Berchowitz, Ricky Huard, John and Beth Pratt, Samara Rafert, Jeff Kallet, Sally Welch, Maryann Gunderson, and the other folks at Ohio University Press for believing in me and for believing in Jerrie Mock.
Notes
Flight One
1. “Jerrie Mock makes last-minute preparations for her history-making, around-the-world solo flight which will begin 3/19,” Columbus Dispatch, March 18, 1964, 1A.
2. Jerrie Mock, Three-Eight Charlie (Granville, OH: Phoenix Graphix Publishing Services, 2014), 2.
3. Ibid., 7.
4. “Jerrie Mock, 2490 Bexford Pl, Bexley, will take off March 18th in her attempt to set a women’s around-the-world solo flight record,” Columbus Dispatch, March 17, 1964, 3A.
5. Jerrie Mock, “My Flight through Fear,” GRIT, Family Section, June 6, 1976, 14.
6. Ibid.
7. Richard Platt, Experience Flight (New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2006), 22.
8. Candace Fleming, Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart (New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011), 102.
9. Mock, Three-Eight Charlie, 10.