Thursday, April 17, 2014

Quick: Name the First Woman to Fly Around the World

First two admissions:
One) I don't remember hearing of her before today.
Two) I don't have time to do any fact checking; I'm trusting this Buzzfeed article, and banging out a quick post for the 50th anniversary of the completion of her flight.

Her name is Jerrie Mock. Is. She's still alive. Because she flew around the damn world and didn't get lost or run out of fuel or crash. It's too bad that she did it under the racelike conditions that she did, and didn't get more of a chance to explore the places she visited. I wish her later years had been happier and that she had had more opportunities to fly since.

I thought it was worth posting, even though I'm prioritizing my sleep over a well-written blog post here. Jerrie Mock.

7 comments:

Sarah said...

I believe it is a true story. She had guts.

air and space magazine

Majroj said...

A Cessna!? Yikes.
Here's another.
First woman a to co-pilot (shared duties) around the world without refueling, Jeana Yeager.
No, they didn't fly the Arctic Circle!
No she isn't related to famous test pilot Chuck Yeager.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeana_Yeager>click here</a>

Majroj said...

Well, so much for cut and pasting the link dealiethingee.
click here

Dave W said...

Thank you for posting this, an amazing woman..

Dave Starr said...

Yes, memories do flood back on this one.

I was in high school and working on my Private License when she made her flight. Ms. Mock did a lot of other things to promote aviation and women in aviation, but most of them "quietly". She was not some sort of 'wonky' "Evangelist" or zealot. Her stated reason for making the flight was: I just wanted to have a little fun in my airplane”

One of the better reasons I could ever think of. Too bad that today "fun" and airplanes tend to be diametrically opposed.

Look her up on Wikipedia. And yes, "little airplanes" can do big things ... I've always been a big Cessna 180 fan.

Happy anniversary, Jerrie.

john said...

I nominate Ms. Mock to the Pancho Barnes Flight Club for Achieving Women Who Were Just Too Darn Busy Accomplishing Great Things To Complain (Ms. Barnes herself being the founder of the Stunt Pilots Union, an air speed record holder, and of course, of Happy Bottom fame.)

Esketekebanka Fikilikippikiniki said...

Have a map.