“It is understood that the mentioned normal route shall be adhered to, and that all local laws and regulations shall be observed, no arms or ammunitions shall be carried, and that no undesirable passengers aboard other than yourself.” That was a letter to Geraldine “Jerrie” L. Mock from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington. The letter was informing her that she would be allowed to touch down in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia during her scheduled flight around the world.
Mock (1925–2014) had taken an interest in aeronautics at a young age when she took her first plane ride. Before her 12th birthday, all the rage surrounded Amelia Earhart and her 1937 attempt to fly around-the-world, an attempt that ended in tragedy. In 1943, she attended Ohio State University to study aeronautical engineering, one of the few women at the time to do so. She would drop out of college to marry Russell Mock in 1945, though her love for aeronautics remained. Twelve years and three children later, the Ohio housewife decided to earn her pilot’s license.
