Geraldine Mock: “The Flying Housewife”

Geraldine “Jerrie” Mock’s love of aviation started at an early age. Her first flight was at the ripe old age of seven, when she and her father rode in a Ford TriMotor. The flight only lasted about 15 minutes, but it started a lifelong love of flying—a love strengthened when Amelia Earhart made her around-the-world…

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Alan Shepard: The Astronaut Who Almost Wasn’t

Born Nov. 18, 1923 (and a direct descendant of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren), Alan B. Shepard, Jr., became part of history when he became the first American in space during the Mercury flight in 1961. He also holds the distinction as the oldest person to walk on the moon—he was 47 during the Apollo 14…

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The Queen of the Air

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart wasn’t at all interested in aviation after her first encounter with an airplane. She was 10 years old and found it to be “a thing of rusty wire and wood and looked not at all interesting.” All that changed ten years later when, in 1920, when she took a life-changing and history-altering ride with pilot Frank…

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Aviator Spotlight – Bessie Coleman

Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was a true pioneer in aviation.   During a time when female aviators were few and far between, Bessie was able to make a name for herself by becoming the first African-American woman to earn a pilot’s license.  Her determination and courage are remembered now, nearly a century later, as we put…

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Aviator Spotlight – The Wright Brothers, Fathers of Aviation

December 17, 1903, marks what is arguably the most important day in our industry’s history. On this day, 117 years ago, we learned to fly. Wilbur and Orville Wright are considered the founders of modern aviation.  Their technological breakthroughs and unmatched contributions laid the foundation for the industry as we know it today. The brothers…

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