Geraldine L. "Jerrie" Mock was born November 22, 1925 in Newark, Ohio. She studied aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University. She was nicknamed "the flying housewife" when she became the first woman to circle the globe. She left Columbus, Ohio on March 19, 1964. Her airplane, the "Spirit of Columbus" was a 1953 single-engine Cessna 180 monoplane. Mock landed April 18, 1964 having taken 29 days, 11 hours, and 59 minutes to fly around the world. The trip also made her the first woman to cross the Atlantic and the Pacific. She was named the Vice-Chairman of the Women's Advisory Committee on Aviation to the FAA. On May 4, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave her the FAA's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. In 1966, she set a straight line distance record for a flight between Honolulu, Hawaii and Columbus, Ohio. Overall, Mock set twenty-one world records, seven of which were set flying around the world. She wrote about her experience in Three Eight Charlie.

NASM.XXXX.0833

Arranged and described by Kelly Pope (Intern), 2007. Revised by Melissa Keiser and Jessamyn Lloyd, 2022. Encoded by Jessamyn Lloyd, 2022.

Mock, Geraldine L. "Jerrie"

1963-1964

Geraldine Mock, Gift, Unknown, Deed signed in 2007, NASM.XXXX.0833

0.25 Cubic feet (1 box)

Geraldine L. "Jerrie" Mock was the first woman to fly solo around the world and the holder of 21 world records overall. This collection consists of materials pertaining to Mock's flight around the world.

No restrictions on access.

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Logbooks

Photographs

Correspondence

This collection is organized chronologically.

This collection consists of materials from Geraldine Mock's record setting flight around the world. Documents in this collection include requests for sponsorship; correspondence with foreign dignitaries; pilot's daily log; documentation of the record set; aircraft modifications; maps of Hawaii, the Philippines, and Europe; an insurance statement; menus; receipts for gas; photographs; permissions to land from foreign countries; weather forecasts; and flight plans. Note: Images shown represent a portion of the collection. The entire collection has not been scanned.

Logbooks

Photographs

Correspondence

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Geraldine Mock Collection, NASM.XXXX.0833, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

National Air and Space Museum Archives