Nick Mamer
Encyclopedia
Nicholas B. “Nick” Mamer (1897 – 1938) was a noted aviation
pioneer and pilot
in the Pacific Northwest
during the 1920s and 1930s.
Mamer served with the United States Army Air Service
during World War I
, and later settled in Spokane, Washington
, establishing the Mamer Flying Service and Mamer Air Transport firms. Mamer was a flight instructor and charter pilot, and was involved in early forest fire patrol flights for the United States Forest Service
. Among his flight pupils was Bob Johnson, a well-known aviation pioneer in Missoula, Montana
.
Mamer is perhaps best remembered for undertaking a pioneering long-distance endurance flight that began on August 15, 1929. The flight utilized a Buhl Airsedan
biplane
named the Spokane Sun-God; Mamer was at the controls, and was accompanied by Art Walker acting as mechanic and refueling hoseman. Beginning in Spokane, Mamer and Walker flew to San Francisco
, on to New York City
and back to Spokane five days later, without intermediate stops. Aerial refueling was accomplished at a number of points along the flight path (one was over Missoula on the return trip). Mamer and Walker did not sleep during those five days aloft. They set a number of records, one of which was a world's record non-stop flight of 7,200 miles.
By the late 1930s Mamer was employed by Northwest Airlines
, working as a pilot on that carrier's Seattle
-Minneapolis
route. On January 10, 1938, Mamer was at the controls of Northwest Airlines Flight 2
, a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
when the plane crashed. Parts of the tail section were torn from the aircraft as it flew over the Bridger Range
northeast of Bozeman, Montana
and the plane went into a dive. Mamer, copilot Fred West and eight passengers died instantly. Later, an investigation revealed that the tail structure had failed on the new design from what is known as "natural resonance
, or period of vibration".
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer and pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
during the 1920s and 1930s.
Mamer served with the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and later settled in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, establishing the Mamer Flying Service and Mamer Air Transport firms. Mamer was a flight instructor and charter pilot, and was involved in early forest fire patrol flights for the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. Among his flight pupils was Bob Johnson, a well-known aviation pioneer in Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
.
Mamer is perhaps best remembered for undertaking a pioneering long-distance endurance flight that began on August 15, 1929. The flight utilized a Buhl Airsedan
Buhl Airsedan
-See also:* Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
named the Spokane Sun-God; Mamer was at the controls, and was accompanied by Art Walker acting as mechanic and refueling hoseman. Beginning in Spokane, Mamer and Walker flew to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, on to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and back to Spokane five days later, without intermediate stops. Aerial refueling was accomplished at a number of points along the flight path (one was over Missoula on the return trip). Mamer and Walker did not sleep during those five days aloft. They set a number of records, one of which was a world's record non-stop flight of 7,200 miles.
By the late 1930s Mamer was employed by Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
, working as a pilot on that carrier's Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
-Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
route. On January 10, 1938, Mamer was at the controls of Northwest Airlines Flight 2
Northwest Airlines Flight 2
Northwest Airlines Flight 2, registration NC17388, was a Lockheed 14H Super Electra aircraft which crashed into the Bridger Mountains about 12 miles northeast of Bozeman, Montana, on January 10, 1938...
, a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-835-6.-External links:*...
when the plane crashed. Parts of the tail section were torn from the aircraft as it flew over the Bridger Range
Bridger Mountains (Montana)
The Bridger Range is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, in southern Montana in the United States. The range runs mostly in a north - south direction between Bozeman and Maudlow and is separated from the Gallatin Range to the south by Bozeman Pass...
northeast of Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
and the plane went into a dive. Mamer, copilot Fred West and eight passengers died instantly. Later, an investigation revealed that the tail structure had failed on the new design from what is known as "natural resonance
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
, or period of vibration".