Letter to Faye

Letter to Faye

Joan Merriam Smith
World Flight
Pilots

Shortly after her return from her round-the-world flight, Joan Merriam Smith wrote this letter to her friend Faye dated May 23, 1964. She listed out her intentions for the flight, her frustrations with the media portrayal of her flight, and the comparison of her trip with that of Jerrie Mock. Mock, a Columbus, OH, pilot, completed a round-the-world flight around the same time as Smith, though her flight was around 4,000 miles shorter. Mock's finish on April 17, 1964 earned her the title of "first woman to fly around the world solo." Smith, who finished her 27,000 flight on May 12, 1964, was largely ignored by the media, the National Aeronautics Association, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Joan Merriam Smith

May 23, 1964

English

Letter

Letter