To wrap up Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the accomplishments of a woman who achieved the “impossible” with dignity and professionalism. She was not one for speeches and fame. Rather, she was content to quietly follow her dreams, no matter how high or far they reached. Her name was Jerrie Mock, and she was the first woman to successfully pilot an aircraft solo around the world. Born in 1925, Geraldine Lois Fredritz (Jerrie) knew from an early age that she was destined to become a pilot. She took her first flight when she was seven years old, and went on to become the first woman to study aeronautical engineering at Ohio State University. A mother of three, Jerrie described herself as “the flying housewife.” On April 17, 1964, she made history when she completed a 29-day mission piloting a Cessna 180 plane around the world, setting a speed record and six other records. After this remarkable achievement, Jerrie resumed a (mostly) normal life, while still finding time to break several more speed records in a Cessna P206.
Jerrie Mock passed away in 2014, and today her legacy remains somewhat unknown to the general public. Yet her courage, determination, and pioneering spirit are truly a lasting inspiration to all.
Read more about the incredible accomplishments of Jerrie Mock: