FASF member July McClure (above) is taking over the helm of the Aerodrome Newsletter from our long time Editor, Gene Valdes. This coming “Winter Election Edition” will be under her leadership. As many of you probably know, Gene was our Founding President and then our longest running Aerodrome Editor.

July is a long time resident of Columbus and an almost life long entertainer. She still continues to run the local Tumbleweed Theater, of which she is the owner, and also continues to play gigs with her band, Desert Trio, on a fairly regular schedule mostly within New Mexico, all the time fulfilling various roles in plays, whenever the opportunity arises. Originally from Colorado, where she obtained her BS Degree in Cultural Anthropology, July has also worked as a full time staff reporter for the Deming Headlight Newspaper and Desert Winds Magazine for some time, and now continues to contribute stories to the Headlight whenever she uncovers them. She has also served as a Trustee for the Village of Columbus.

We are blessed to have her and wish her the best with her new responsibilities. July’s late father-in-law, John Two McClure, was a well known Colorado artist who retired to Columbus. He did some impressive paintings of the famed First Aero Squadron Jennies flying over Columbus during the 1916-17 Punitive Expedition. These limited (numbered) prints are for sale at the Columbus Historical Society’s Depot Museum.

July says that taking over from such a fine Editor as Gene will not be an easy task, but she will give it her very best effort. She intends to include a number of stories from both members of the Board of Trustees, from the membership at large, and even from the general public, whenever they are available. She wants to take this opportunity to officially invite one and all to help her give fresh excitement and colorful content to our Foundation’s official quarterly publication. This means photos, as well as articles and news items. If you’d like to contribute to our Aerodrome, please contact July at: 575.531.2542 or email her at: July@VTC.net

View of the main War Eagles Air Museum hangar, with door open to show aircraft and antique auto display. In front of the chain-link barrier fence and by the FASF horizontal sign you can make out FASF Vice President Kathleen Martin and Airfield Site Planning Chair, Bill Madden at the FASF Information Table just to the left of the open chain link gate at mid photo.

For the first time in its 31 year running tradition in El Paso, Texas, the “Amigo Airsho” (AAS) basically started all over from scratch this past weekend, when they held the event in their new location in the nearby New Mexico town of Santa Teresa.

Braving the stiff breeze on opening day, are Bill Madden at left, and Dr. Kathleen Martin on the right, busily setting up the FASF Information Table in readiness for the opening bell.

Invited by both the show’s management team and the well known War Eagles Air Museum (WEAM), at Santa Teresa International Jetport, to join the show, your FASF chipped in with its own volunteers to help the War Eagles present itself to the general public and to further spread the word about the FASF and its mission.

While the old show in El Paso had worked up to crowds of almost 100,000 attendees over its weekend events, this time the crowds were much smaller, but they still met the expectations for the brand new venue of about 12,000 show visitors – and this was without any of the usual heavy pre-show promotional advertising. All in all, both the show staff and the War Eagles administration were pleased with the attendance – and with the public’s hearty endorsement of the new venue in neighboring New Mexico. As a direct result of the largest crowd to ever gather at the Jetport, the War Eagles Air Museum was able to pick up almost 200 new members in just two days!

Amigo Airsho Official (L) and George Guerra (R), WEAM Operations Officer, chatting in front of the FASF Table at the Air Show.  FASF Volunteer from the Las Cruces EAA Chapter, Col. Carlos Galson, is by Table at Left and FASF VP Dr. Martin, is on the Right.

Volunteers manning the FASF information table on Saturday were members Bill Madden, Dr. Kathleen Martín, Ric Lambart and EAA 555 Chapter member, Col. Carlos Galson. At Sunday’s show, FASF VP John Orton, Trustee Candidate Roy Mantei, and Ric Lambart came out to help. Both groups of FASF members helped persuade a number of AirSho goers to join the WEAM during the event.

Over a hundred copies of our Fall Newsletter, the Aerodrome, along with FASF membership applications were passed out to the show visitors, and hundreds of other show attendees were informed for the first time about the FASF Mission and its upcoming plans for the once-in-a-lifetime Centennial Celebration for 2016 in Columbus.

Among those attending the AirSho and who visited or who engaged with the FASF volunteers were NM Congressman Steve Pearce, Airsho CEO Pancho Mangan, Airsho Board President, Roxie Samaniego, WEAM Executive Director Bob Dockendorf, Museum Operations Manager George Guerra, museum’s Airsho Volunteer Coordinator Esther Juarez.

The FASF is grateful to those who took so much of their valuable personal time to participate in the weekend aviation extravaganza and to help more of the public learn about the Foundation and its objectives.

Below are some photos of the various aviation displays and aerial aerobatics caught in action during the show.

* Incidentally, while you might think your reporter is consistently misspelling Airshow by “forgetting” the “w” at the end of “sho,” the correct spelling of this particular aviation spectacular is actually the “AMIGO AIRSHO” without the “w!”

This amazing schoolbus is jet powered. It raced several airplanes down the long runway, beating them at a speed clocked at 385 MPH at one point! It goes so fast, its brakes won’t stop it, requiring a drogue chute to do the job. This is faster than any Indianopolis race car ever went during a qualifying speed run!

A sudden downpour on Sunday didn’t manage to stop the show for long, and gave all present a beautiful rainbow bonus.

The FASF Sunday Air Show crew are seen at work.  On left is FASF member and Trustee candidate, Roy Mantei, who has just helped set up the Info Table with Trustee Col. John Orton on right.

FASF Fan with Trustee John Orton and Member Roy Mantei waiting under the hangar’s cover for the rain to stop.

Roy Mantei and Col. John Orton, with visiting friend from San Francisco, checking their iPhones to see when the bad weather would break.

Kyle Franklin waves to crowd from his customized Waco Biplane at the Amigo Airsho. His aerobatic skill was put on full display and he roared by the crowd inverted, or going straight up till stalling and then falling back down through his own smoke trail.  After the show your reporter was amazed to visit Kyle as he literally removed the wings from his plane in order to pack them into his special travel trailer.  The beautiful Waco ship carries so little fuel, only enough for its aerobatic routine, that it can’t fly cross-country any distance.  The fuel aboard is only good for about a half hour in the air.  Too much fuel would not only make the plane too heavy, but also create excessive “G” forces, endangering the aircraft’s structure during Kyle’s violent and extreme aerobatic maneuvers.

Kyle Franklin flying by the show crowds inverted.

Kyle falling through his own smoke trail in a dangerous inverted spin maneuver.

The amazing USAF Thunderbird Exhibition Team thundering by the crowd in their renowned “Calypso Pass” maneuver at over 500 MPH!  Off only a few inches miscanlucation and the crowd would bear witness to a mid-air disaster!

In another masterful and extremely dangerous maneuver, the Thunderbird team displays their brilliant technique in their unique “Reflection Pass” . . .

Four of the six Thunderbirds fly by in echelon review at over 400 MPH.

In their famous grand finale, the Thunderbirds performed their precision “High Bomb Burst” at the end of each day’s air show. The FASF has been negociating with the Pentagon to obtain this great team of top gun pilots for the FASF Centennial Celebration in 2016.

November 4, 2014: FASF Trustee, Josh Plasencio, on Right, President of the Fist Savings Bank, visited with Trustee Candidate Bill Wallace III, (Left) Manager of the new Columbus Stockyards, who showed Josh around the brand new facilities, considered to be the most modern along the entire U.S. Mexican border. The multi-million dollar facility was just completed last month. Bill was raised in the Mexican town, Casas Grandes, where the First Aero Squadron had its first foreign air base 98 years ago. Both men were born in El Paso, TX.Bill explained to Josh how the new facilities will have a full-time USDA crew to handle all inspections of incoming livestock.  The operation has already begun handling both imported cattle and exported breeding stock.  The new Columbus Stockyards will process so many head of cattle in its modern yards that the USDA has its own facilities right on site.  Bill explained how his new Columbus operation takes into serious consideration a design of cattle handling that minimizes livestock distress, accommodating their natural instincts.  Bill explained how the famous Colorado Professor, Temple Grandin, PhD, played a role in designing this modern hi-tech facility.  Both the Columbus Stockyards and CattleMex, its companion operation,  are FASF business supporters (see LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORTERS page).

The Spirit of Columbus

Jerrie posing by “Three-Eight Charlie” in Columbus, Ohio – 1964

Few seem to remember this unassuming young Midwestern housewife, who successfully accomplished what Amelia Earhart had tried, unsuccessfully, to do in the mid 1930’s.  Jerrie completed her around the globe flight in only 29 days – all in a small single engine Cessna 180, a mass produced general aviation airplane – not the much more powerful twin engine class of aircraft used by the famous Earhart some 27 years earlier.  And, unlike Ms. Earhart, who had a male navigator on board to help her find her way, Mrs. Mock was completely alone and had never before attempted any sort of record setting flight – of any kind.

           Jerrie waves farewell as admiring officials and hosts stand by in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, March 1964

Brigadier General Olbert F. Lassiter, Chief of the U.S. Air Force Command Post, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, along with some 10,000 others,  welcomes this brave American adventurer home to Columbus, OH, the evening of April 17, 1964.

Jerrie’s circumnavigation of the world started off on a frighteningly bad foot, as she eked her way from Columbus, Ohio, to the Bermuda Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.  Once over the ocean, she discovered that her radios didn’t work, so flew in silence until close enough to reach the island airport control tower with her over-the-land short distance VHF radio.  It would have been very easy for Ms. Mock to have completely missed the Bermuda destination, since there were no landmarks, and the island, when seen from her altitude, was but a small speck in the endless sea, which stretched from horizon to horizon.

Jerrie’s loss is a personal one for this writer, who had known Jerrie when she did this amazing and highly perilous feat, 50 years ago. Six years after her successful cirumnavigation, Jerrie published a book chronicling her adventure, and titled it Three-Eight Charlie.  In commemoration of this fiftieth anniversary of her record-setting flight, a special new edition was just published and is available both on line in PDF format, or in hard copy.

When the FASF completes setting up its online store, you will be able to purchase Jerrie’s thrilling tale directly from the Foundation, but, in the meantime, just click on either the book’s title above, or on the special edition’s cover, shown on the left, below.  Having read Jerrie’s documentary of the flight, I can attest to its exciting depiction of her adventure as it unfolded.  It’s a cliff hanger, and not easy to put aside once started.  An adventure few who read it will ever forget.

“Nobody was going to tell me I couldn’t do it because I was a woman,” said Mock, who often wore a skirt and blouse on her flight and frequently put on high heels, after landings, before alighting on the airport tarmacks from her ship’s cabin.

A life-sized bronze statue depicting Mock holding a globe was unveiled just this past April at Port Columbus (OH) Airport on the 50th anniversary of her flight, and it was also memorialized with an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum.           See a photo of this statue down below.

What is especially sad is that Jerrie was to be nominated as a member of the FASF’s Board of Advisors at this coming November’s meeting of the FASF Board of Trustees.  Negotiations were already underway, when her untimely death terminated the arrangements.

Above is her Class High School Photo

Here, for your information, is a summation of her record making achievements:

PILOT

Name : Geraldine Mock
Nationality : American
Licences: Private with Instrument Rating
Flying experience at time of flight : 750 hours

AIRCRAFT USED

Name : “Spirit of Columbus” & dubbed “Three-Eight Charlie”
Registration : N 1538C
Make : Cessna
Type : C 180 (1953 Model)
Engine : Continental 0-470-J
Length : 26 ft, 2 in. (7.98 m.)
Wing span : 36 in. (10.97 m.)
Height : 7ft. 9 in. ( 2.36 m.)
Maximum weight : 2,550 Ibs (1,160 kg.)
Maximum fuel capacity : 178 gallons
Cruising speed : 145 knots (167 MPH)

The Cessna Company gave Jerrie Mock another Cessna (a C P206) in exchange for N1538C. It was exhibited at the factory in Wichita until 1975 when it went to the National Air and Space Museum where it was displayed until recently. It is now in Maryland (with Wiley Post’s Winnie Mae) at one of the repair facilities and can only be seen by appointment. Since 2010, ‘Charlie’ had been on exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington D.C

Unveiled – Statue of Jerrie Mock commemmorating 50th Anniversary of her global flight.

THE FLIGHT

Departure point : Columbus (Ohio)
Departure date : March 19, 1964
Arrival point : Columbus, OH
Arrival date : April 17, 1964
Duration in days : 29 days 11 hours 59 minutes
Duration in hours : Approx. 158 hours
Average speed : 120 knots (138 MPH)
En route stops : Kindley AFB (Bermuda), Santa Maria (Azores), Casablanca (Morroco), Tangier, Bone (Algeria), Tripoli (Lybia), Cairo (Egypt), Dhahran (Saudi Arabia), Karachi (Pakistan), Delhi (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Manila (Philippines), Guam Island, Wake Island, Honolulu (Hawaii), Oakland (California), Tucson, El Paso, Bowling Green (Kentucky), and, finally, Columbus, OH.
Equator : Did not cross the Equator.
Incidents/accidents : No major breakdown, however she had serious problems with the brakes, the HF antenna reel, and the ship’s tail wheel.

Records set :

• Around the world in Class C1-c for women.
• Around the world for men and women

Firsts (Non-official records) :

• First woman to fly the North Atlantic from the US to Africa
• First woman to fly both oceans
• First woman to fly the Pacific from West to east
• First woman to fly the Pacific in both directions
• First woman to fly solo around the world

Other records set by Jerrie Mock :

• 1965: Speed on close circuit of 500 km in Class C1-c.
• 1966: Distance in straight line, feminine record.
• 1968: Distance in a close circuit, feminine record.
• 1968: Speed on a recognized course : (Columbus (Ohio) to San Juan (Puerto Rico), Class C1-d and feminine record.
  San Juan to Columbus, Class C1-d and feminine record.
• 1969: Speed on a recognized course : Oakland (California to Honolulu) Class C1-d and feminine record.
  Oakland to Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) feminine record.
  Honolulu to Tarawa (Kiribati) Class C1-d and feminine record.
  Tarawa to Honiara (Guadalcanal) Class C1-d and feminine record.
  Honiara to Rabaul, Class C1-d and feminine record.

AWARDS:
Geraldine Mock received a great number of awards. Among them:

• Federal Aviation Agency Gold Metal for Exceptional Service
• Louis Bleriot Silver Metal(World-Wide award of Fédération Aéronautique Internationale)
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Special Award
• Experimental Aircraft Association Special Award
• Amelia Earhart Memorial Award, 1964
• Aero Classic Aviation Progress Award, 1965
• Glenn Hammond Curtiss Silver Metal, Pittsburgh OX-5 Club
• Women’s Aero Association of Wichita Award

Sponsors : The flight was sponsored by many aircraft parts manufactures and service providers of the day, especially Cessna and Continental (engine), Champion Spark Plugs, etc.

Above, U. S. Air Force Pilots walk back from their Jet Fighters (F-15’s) in Elmendorf, Alaska, which helps serve to exemplify the vast changes Jerrie’s Record Setting flight helped bring about in the U.S. Military – as well as in civil aviation here – – – and around the world she successfully encircled.  All Military Services and the U.S. Coast Guard now have female pilots, and there are also many women now commanding U.S. Airliners throughout the world. Something unheard of, when Jerrie braved to do what no other woman had ever successfully achieved – – – only fifty years ago.

To hear a 15 minute interview in March of this year (2014) of Jerrie by CarolAnn Garratt re her remembrances.  (Just click on this sentence or photo of Jerrie’s famous Cessna Aircraft below – – – the interview has a number of rarely seen photos from the Jerrie Mock Collection.)

Godspeed, Jerrie.  In your humble and quiet way, you accomplished something remarkable, and helped give your sister aviators opportunities hardly imaginable but half a century ago.  Those who were privileged to know you will miss your cheerful and positive influence and wonderfully enthusiastic and warm demeanor.

Other news stories posted since we put up this story:  Plane Tales, Gone West;  38 Charlie Facebook Page; CBS TV News;  L.A. Times Story;   Newsday;   The Desert Sun Obit;  Tributes.Com: and, last, Bio written by Jerrie’s granddaughter, Rita Juanita Mock (This is an unusual Bio, since it reveals things only a granddaughter might know about her grandmother). 

Ric Lambart – October 1, 2014  –  Columbus, New Mexico

Shown standing (L to R) are FASF members: Colonel Ira Cline, Committee Chairman, with Bill Madden and Roy Mantei. Bill is Chairman of the FASF Site Survey & Planning Committee, and Roy is helping with both committees. This meeting was devoted to both brainstorming for the upcoming 2016 Centennial Celebration and planning for the upcoming November 1 and 2nd Amigo Airsho event at the Doña Ana County International Jetport, where the FASF will be presenting its operation to the general public and promoting new memberships from its own display booth.  Volunteers will, of course, be provided with free passes to the Amigo Airsho.

If you’d like to volunteer to help at the FASF Information Booth at the Amigo Airsho next month, or with the big once-in-a-lifetime Centennial Celebration in 2016, please call either Dr. Kathleen Martín at the FASF, (575) 519-1100, or just email your interest to the Air Show & Events Committee at: info@firstaerosquadron.org. If you don’t have the time to volunteer, please at least visit our booth at the November Amigo Airho in Santa Teresa, NM, either Saturday the 1st, or Sunday the 2nd of November. You can get more information on the Amigo Airsho, such as directions and exhibitors, from their website at: www.amigoairsho.org.

Joshua “Josh” G. Plasencio, above, in his Deming, NM bank office, where he is the branch President, is the FASF’s newest and also youngest member of the FASF Board of Trustees.

Josh was born and raised in El Paso, Texas where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Texas El Paso. His first post graduate work was in Albuquerque, NM, where he obtained licenses in both the Insurance business and the Securities professions.   Before entering the banking industry, Josh worked his way up to be the Assistant Vice President of Planning Services for the Charles Stephen and Company, Inc., of Albuquerque. Then he went to work for the Wells Fargo Bank to garner banking skills and his banker’s license.

At Wells Fargo Josh gained broad experience with many banking skills, including cash management, credit analysis and risk management. He also became more proficient in securities trading, debt and equity financing, economic, financial, and technical indicator analyses. Additionally, he helped develop and implement financial plans for businesses using his knowledge of taxes, accounting, budgeting, economics, investment strategies, insurance, retirement plans, and real estate. The Wells Fargo responsibilities helped him gain leadership and management skills as he trained and helped support less experienced staff members.

When Josh moved over to the First Saving Bank he soon gained new experiences in the diverse skills required of banking executives. At First Savings he worked in almost all the service areas involved and helped develop and maintain prospective commercial lending packages for private clientele, including financial restructuring, refinancing, equipment financing, business acquisition, Small Business Administration assistance, and real estate. He was able to further hone his skills and expertise by helping develop marketing plans through use of various modern technical media. At First Savings Josh successfully created and implemented marketing strategies and gained more background as a branch manager, and as a business development and commercial lending officer, where he supervised and managed branch staff in a team oriented environment. His achievements with First Savings in El Paso led to his latest promotion to be President of the First Savings Bank of Deming, New Mexico. This newest Board member of the FASF clearly brings some much needed new financial and planning and team leadership skills to our growing organization’s expanding responsibilities and new challenges.

Dateline: Saturday, September 13, 2014 – Columbus NM

Pictured in readiness to greet visitors to the FASF table is new First Aero member, July McClure, owner of the widely known Tumbleweed Theater and one of Columbus’ most popular entertainers.

Above is Mayor Philip Skinner (seated at right center) along with standing dignitaries, (L to R); NM Representatives Donna Irwin and Rudy Martinez; City Trustee Bill Johnson; Mrs. Sanchez and Mayor Sanchez of Palomas, Mexico, and City Trustee, Bruce D’Salas, after signing an agreement with Western New Mexico Univesity (WNMU) to offer classes in Columbus for the first time.   Shaking Mayor Skinner’s hand is WNMU’s President, Dr. Shepard.

Columbus’ Mayor proudly presents the newly crowned Miss Columbus contest winner, Tonya Moreno, along with the event’s organizers, (L to R) Señora Sanchez, the Mayor’s wife, Mrs.Diana Skinner, Ms. Moreno, Columbus Mayor Skinner and Mayor Sanchez of Palomas, Mexico.

Today, Saturday, September 13, 2014, dawned unseasonably cool and cloudy as Columbus residents and various local area organizations set up their tables and display booths in the old school’s Gym Building. This was the first Palomas (Mexico) – Columbus joint bi-national Fiesta Day – and it was a pronounced success, with the Gym facility being heavily populated with local Columbus, Palomas and Deming citizens, who even witnessed the crowning of this year’s new “Miss Columbus.” Volunteering to staff the FASF table at the event were FASF members Dr. Kathleen Martín, July McClure, Roy Mantei and Ric Lambart. As locals stopped to inquire about the FASF, some became enthusiastic enough to sign up as new members.

Please let any one of the Board members know if you’d also like to help out on any of our upcoming public events. It’s fun and one gets to meet lots of interesting visitors – and maybe even help them see the many good reasons to join the FASF.  The next big event at which we’ll need all the volunteers we can muster will be at the Amigo Airsho, at Santa Teresa International Jetport on November 1 and 2nd of this coming November.  As of this date we only have five (5) volunteers signed up, so please join the Air Show crew.  We need your help!