Three-Eight Charlie publisher Wendy Hollinger, children's author Nancy Roe Pimm, and round-the-world solo pilot Shaesta Waiz talk about Jerrie Mock's inspiring record-setting flight

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In April, the Aviatrix Book Club discussed Three-Eight Charlie: 1st Woman to Fly Solo Around the World – 1964, by Jerrie Mock. I was thrilled by the enthusiasm about the story from our members, and very pleasantly surprised by how well the book was written. It truly has broad appeal and will entertain audiences from avgeeks to young adults to Better Homes and Gardens fans. I am so grateful to publisher Wendy Hollinger for bringing the book back into print, and for championing Jerrie’s story and accomplishments.

Jerrie passed away in 2014, but my three guests in this episode each spent time with her while she was still with us. Wendy, through the course of republishing the book became close with Jerrie, as did author Nancy Roe Pimm, whose book The Jerrie Mock Story is a middle-grade biography about her. Finally, Shaesta Waiz, the previous record holder for youngest woman to fly solo around the world (before Zara Rutherford in 2022), was mentored for her trip by Jerrie. 

Stay tuned until the end of our conversation when Wendy has a special surprise for Shaesta. 

 Thank you to all three of these ladies for the work they do to carry on Jerrie’s legacy to educate and inspire young people through her accomplishments and their own efforts. You can find Jerrie’s plane ‘Charlie’ in a new display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the Mall in D.C. 

 Here is the blurb from the book: 

Three-Eight Charlie is the story of Jerrie Mock’s record-setting flight as the first woman to solo around the world in 1964 in a single-engine Cessna 180. It’s an insightful and well written account that includes intrigue and heroism, and discusses the cultures and geography of the world at the time. This book is a great read for aviation enthusiasts as well as young people, and anyone with big dreams. Three-Eight Charlie was originally published in 1970, but is out of print and difficult to find. Phoenix Graphix Publishing Services was pleased to make a new, color edition available for the 50th anniversary of Jerrie’s flight, and has now created this black and white paperback. It includes maps and weather charts and photos that bring the story to life, and help the reader experience it more fully.

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Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker