PEACHTREE CITY, USA – Aventure remembers Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock for Women’s History Month, the first woman to fly solo around the world.
Born November 22, 1925, in Newark, Ohio, Mock was fascinated with aviation at an early age. She studied aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University, and would focus on raising a family before rekindling her passion for flight later in life.
In 1964, at the age of 38, Mock embarked on a solo circumnavigation around the globe, which no woman had attempted. She piloted her single-engine Cessna 180 Spirit of Columbus, covering 23,000 miles over 29 days, completing the flight on April 17, 1964.
Mock shattered stereotypes about women in aviation and inspired future generations of female pilots. She received the Federal Aviation Administration’s Exceptional Service Decoration and was recognized by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
She passed away September 30, 2014, at the age of 88, leaving a rich legacy that showed women could achieve the same milestones as men in flight. Today, Mock is celebrated as a trailblazer, whose honors include a statue at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, and being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
