This Screenplay is More
Than Just Another Flying Story

The feature film script presented on this website details the historic 1964 flight of Jerrie Mock, but goes well beyond the tale that was told in her 1970 book entitled “Three-Eight Charlie”.

Because this adventure comes alive on so many layers, the screenplay by the same name is not an adaptation of the book, but rather a complete original work with far more complex characters and backstories.

To fully understand why the completion of this flight should be considered by all to be such a major accomplishment, one must first look at the journey this courageous woman took to get to the pilot’s seat of The Spirit of Columbus.

The legacy of Jerrie Mock begins in 1931 when she looked up and saw a biplane chugging by over her Newark, Ohio home. Not long after that, her father arranged a ride in a Ford Trimotor, which was this future aviator’s initiation into the sky. From the moment the wheels of the Trimotor broke free from the sod landing strip, seven-year-old Jerrie was hooked on flying.

She obtained her private pilot’s license in the late 1950’s, juggling family and finances to finally achieve any aviator’s most sought-after milestone, certification from the FAA to be Pilot-in-Command.

By the early 1960’s Jerrie became Airport Manager at Price Field in Columbus, a dream job that allowed her to spend more time at the airport. She had also became half-owner of a flight school and airplane rental business at the field, with four airplanes available for instruction and pleasure flights. When Jerrie sold out of her position in the flying service, she used the money to buy a Cessna 180 Skywagon, FAA N1538C, or to her, simply just “Charlie”.

There was no question that aviation ran through Jerrie Mock's soul. She had dreamed of flying to far away places since the fourth grade. It was a collection of world airways charts given to her by a neighbor who was an Air Force pilot, that was the inspiration to seriously plan an around-the-world pleasure flight, just her and Charlie.

One day, Jerrie discovered that no woman had ever flown solo around the world. Soon, she and husband Russ were laying the groundwork for a serious attempt to achieve that very lofty goal of establishing this record.

Jerrie went to work planning this monumental trip alone and secure the needed NAA record sanction, while Russ set out to obtain sponsors. Both were successful, and soon Charlie was nearing completion of several modifications as Jerrie's April 1, 1964 launch date approached.

However, unexpected events occurred in early March, 1964 that forced Jerrie to move her launch date up two weeks to March 19. On that day, she departed Port Columbus Airport in Ohio before a crowd of about 300 people who were witnesses to the start of what would become one of the most historically-significant flights of all time. Over 23,000+ miles later, she landed back at Port Columbus in front of 3,000 adoring fans to become the first woman to fly solo around the world.

The screenplay Three-Eight Charlie by Dan Pimentel is an inside look at Mock’s life, and this historic 1964 flight.

To the movie producer, this story is oozing with all of the elements that make their job of creating a profitable movie possible. It has exotic locations, a courageous female heroine who fights unbelievable odds to arrive at a triumphant conclusion, and intrigue as she races to stay in front of another female pilot also flying around the world at the same time, nipping at her heels every step of the way.

The most surprising aspect about the story of Jerrie Mock and Three-Eight Charlie is that this adventure has been hiding under the radar for 44 years. With my commitment as a pilot to treat the story as accurately as possible, I was able to convince Mock that now was the time to bring this story to the big screen.

As the screenwriter in this project, I consider it to be an honor to be chosen by such an aviation legend to write this script and lead the project into development – dan.