The International Cessna 170 Association

On page 8 of the most recent 170 News, Bill Wehner wrote about Jan Wood donating her plane to the Pearson Air Museum in Ventura. Apparently she soloed it around the world in 1956-57. Anyone have more details on that long cross-country? Surely it must have been written up in aviation magazines back then.

Shortly after reading that I perused my March 2008 issue of AOPA. On page 34 is a picture of Geraldine (Jerrie) Mock who it says, "is the first woman pilot to fly solo around the world" on April 17, 1964.

There might be some lack of info but the 99s are usually pretty accurate about the achievements of women in aviation. I couldn't find out much about Jan Wood or the donation of her 170 to the Museum. This article (link) parallels what the AOPA article states.

http://www.ninety-nines.org/wia.html

WOMEN IN AVIATION
By Kelli Gant

Geraldine Mock became the first women to fly around the world in 1964 in a single-engine Cessna 180 called the Spirit of Columbus. That flight stirred up more interest in air races. The new All Women’s International Air Race soon became known as the “Angel Derby” and the All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race was popularly called the "Powder Puff Derby.”

Jerri Mock was at two of the Cessna 180 Conventions that we attended. A very interesting woman to talk to. Odd thing, after she made the solo around the world flight, she quit flying forever. She stated that she was going to write a new edition of her book and include a lot of facts that she could not include in the first edition because of the Cold War. As far as I know, she has not yet written her second edition.

Harold

I saw Jerri Mock's C 180 hanging from ceiling of the Smithsonian Air & Space muesum in 1983.

Remember thinking , "This could be done in a C 170."

Years later I met two ladies at OshGosh who were displaying their Piper TriPacer that they had flown around the world.

Unique individuals with a lot of stamina.

n2582d wrote:Anyone have more details on that long cross-country? Surely it must have been written up in aviation magazines back then.

I have a hard back book Three-Eight Charlie by Jerrie Mock. Copyright 1970, first edition.

YIKES
I just checked with Amazon.com...... Lowest price used is $225 with a high of $825
This is going back on the shelf...

Does anyone at all have any information on this ladys trip around the world in a C-170? I can't seem to find anything at all on it.
I've always believed that Jerrie Mock, a petite and completely charming young woman, was the first woman to fly solo around the world. I surely would like to know more about the reported earlier flight in the C-170B by Jan Wood. This is truly the first time I ever heard of this accomplishment.

blueldr wrote:Does anyone at all have any information on this ladys trip around the world in a C-170? I can't seem to find anything at all on it.

http://www.three-eightcharlie.com/

I found this website for the Pearson Air Museum of Vancouver, WA. In a column labeled "Aircraft currently on display", it says they have a "1953 Cessna 170 (flew around the world in 1956-1957)".

http://www.pearsonairmuseum.org/attractions.html

I just sent a short email to their curator, Bill Alley, and asked for more information on this airplane. I also invited him to join our forum discussion. I'll keep you posted if he responds. Keith

Hey, if you guys are interested in Jerrie Mock, there is a very interesting Youtube video about her at the link shown below. If you find this story quite amazing, go ahead and forward the following URL to your friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxOJ1NXCVdk

I finally received an answer to my original question. I was hoping that a C-170 beat a C-180 to be first around the world but alas that is not the case. The following is from Carolyn Smith, a trustee at the 99s Museum of Women.

"'First' is a nebulous term. Jan Wood did indeed fly her Cessna 170B around the world. BUT, in Singapore, she had the airplane crated and shipped via a Japanese freighter to Long Beach, CA. Thus, technically, she didn't "fly" all the way.
Geraldine Mock holds the record because she actually flew the aircraft all the way around the world, with no ground or water transport of the airplane."

Gary,

Thanks for the update on the "Around the world" C-170 flight. Admittedly, the lady who made it to Singapore had more guts than I.

I've tried to find a copy of Jerrie Mocks book to read, but none of the libraries I've tried seems to have a copy. Those copies I've seen for sale have all been priced beyond my means.

If anyone has or knows of a copy that might be rented for a short period in order to read it, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

BL,
There's a copy at the Kern County library. http://hip2.sjvls.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?s ... ex=PAUTHOR

If your library can't get it from them I can request it and mail it to you. Another place that might have it is a great little aviation-oriented bookstore in Oakland. http://danwebbbooks.com/

BTW
Nice article about Jerry Mock in the latest issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine. The March 2014 article is written by Lane Wallace.

Therewas a comment above about Jerrie Mock giving up flying right after her around the world record. I believe this is in error, since I'm quite sure that she later set some other records across the Pacific Ocean, flying what I think was a C-206.
It has always dissappointed me that Jerrie Mock received comparitively little recognition in almost all aviation publications and organizations.
For example: in relation to the lady who tried it in an airliner, wrecked it once in Hawaii, was aided by a paid a professional navigator, got lost en route, cost the taxpayers a fortune searching for her, and was never found.

blueldr wrote:Therewas a comment above about Jerrie Mock giving up flying right after her around the world record. I believe this is in error, since I'm quite sure that she later set some other records across the Pacific Ocean, flying what I think was a C-206.
It has always dissappointed me that Jerrie Mock received comparitively little recognition in almost all aviation publications and organizations.
For example: in relation to the lady who tried it in an airliner, wrecked it once in Hawaii, was aided by a paid a professional navigator, got lost en route, cost the taxpayers a fortune searching for her, and was never found.

You forgot to mention "and married to a rich, New York newspaper owner/editor/promoter".

(PS-Thx for the $1. I think I know what that was about.... and it WAS pretty good, heh?)