# Nick Mamer

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{{Short description|American aviator (1897-1938)}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Nick Mamer
|image=Nick Mamer.jpg
|image_size=240
|caption=Mamer in March 1929
|birth_name=Nicholas Bernard Mamer
|birth_date=c. 1897<!-- Felts Field memorial plaque lists 28 Jan 1898 -->
|birth_place= 
|death_date={{death date<!-- and age-->|1938|1|10|1897|mf=y}} (age 40)
|death_place=[Gallatin County](/source/Gallatin_County%2C_Montana), [Montana](/source/Montana),&nbsp;[U.S.](/source/United_States)
|death_cause=Plane crash,<br>[Northwest Flight 2](/source/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_2)
|resting_place =[Evergreen Washelli Memorial&nbsp;Park](/source/Evergreen_Washelli_Memorial%26nbsp%3BPark)<br>[Seattle](/source/Seattle), [Washington](/source/Washington_(state))
|occupation=[Aviator](/source/Aviator)
|spouse=Faye C. Carey Mamer<br>(1901–1958)<br>(m.1925–1938, his death)
|children=<!-- 1 daughter-->Patricia Ann Mamer Lee<br>(1927–1995)
|module        = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
|allegiance    = {{flagu|United States}}
|branch        = 15px [U.S. Army](/source/United_States_Army)
|rank          = <!-- 5px &nbsp;[Lieutenant](/source/First_lieutenant_(United_States)) Lt on Felts Field Plaque, Sgt on headstone in Seattle -->
|unit          = 15px [Signal Corp](/source/Signal_Corps_(United_States_Army)),<br>15px [Aviation Section](/source/Aviation_Section%2C_U.S._Signal_Corps)
|service_years  = 1917–1919<!-- ? -->
|battles       = [World War I](/source/World_War_I)<!--stationed at [Panama Canal Zone](/source/Panama_Canal_Zone), served in France, or both?-->
}}
}}
'''Nicholas Bernard Mamer''' (1897 &ndash; January 10, 1938) was a noted American [aviation](/source/aviation) pioneer and [pilot](/source/aviator) in the [Pacific Northwest](/source/Pacific_Northwest) during the 1920s and 1930s.<ref name=ktlewfr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qaFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1313%2C699692 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |title=Nick Mamer, pilot of huge liner, known to Lewiston friends as one of pioneers in West air service |date=January 11, 1938 |page=2}}</ref><ref name=fmsaplws>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wSdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wOMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2888%2C3165424 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=(photo) |title=Famous air pilot lost with ship |date=January 11, 1938 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=waotpk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vjggAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aFQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6370%2C2118604 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |title="We are over the peak -- nothing worries us now" |date=January 11, 1938 |page=6}}</ref>

==Early career==
Mamer learned to fly in [San Diego](/source/San_Diego) and served with the [Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps](/source/Aviation_Section%2C_U.S._Signal_Corps) of the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) <!--[United States Army Air Service](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Service) started in 1920, stationed at the [Canal Zone](/source/Panama_Canal_Zone) in [Panama](/source/Panama)-->during [World War I](/source/World_War_I). He later settled in [Spokane, Washington](/source/Spokane%2C_Washington), establishing the Mamer Flying Service and Mamer Air Transport firms at Parkwater airstrip, renamed [Felts Field](/source/Felts_Field) in 1927. Mamer was a flight instructor and charter pilot, and was involved in early [forest fire](/source/forest_fire) patrol flights for the [U.S. Forest Service](/source/United_States_Forest_Service).  Among his flight pupils was Bob Johnson, a well-known aviation pioneer in [Missoula, Montana](/source/Missoula%2C_Montana).

==''Spokane Sun-God''==
thumb|150px|left|''Spokane Sun-God''<br />at Felts Field in 1929
Mamer is perhaps best remembered for undertaking a pioneering long-distance endurance flight in 1929 that began on August&nbsp;15. The flight utilized a [Buhl Airsedan](/source/Buhl_Airsedan) [biplane](/source/biplane) named the ''Spokane Sun-God''; Mamer was at the controls, and was accompanied by Art Walker acting as mechanic and refueling hoseman.<ref name=fltast>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ew5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6240%2C3277085 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |title=Spokane Sun-God flight all set |date=August 15, 1929 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=rdtsr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9c5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tPQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5673%2C2909835 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Sun-God ready to soar |date=August 15, 1929 |page=1}}</ref>

Beginning in Spokane, Mamer and Walker flew south to [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco), east to [New York City](/source/New_York_City), and back to Spokane five days later, without intermediate stops. [Aerial refueling](/source/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 (120 hours) aloft. They set a number of records, one of which was a world's record non-stop flight of {{convert|7200|mi}}.<ref name=otoland>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-c5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tPQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5745%2C3926313 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Sun God is ordered to land |date=August 20, 1929 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=cherspk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GQ5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6329%2C4637437 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Seattle, Washington |title=10,000 citizens cheer daring Sun-God aviators' return to Spokane |date=August 21, 1929 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=parad>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-s5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tPQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1916%2C4214851 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Sun God aviators appear in parade |date=August 21, 1929 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=redeag>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zO0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=deIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3617%2C3685103 |work=Reading Eagle |location=Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |title=Fliers span continent twice on non-stop hop |date=August 21, 1929 |page=1}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Marguerite Guthrie and Nicholas Mamer - DPLA - 59066a789c8e1dc1cff4324bdb50b289.jpg|thumb|Mamer with Marguerite Guthrie, sister of [Murray Kenneth Guthrie](/source/Murray_Kenneth_Guthrie)]]

By the late 1930s, Mamer had flown over a million miles (1.6 million km) and had relocated to [Seattle](/source/Seattle); he was employed by [Northwest Airlines](/source/Northwest_Airlines), working as a pilot on the Seattle-[Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis) route. In early 1938, he was at the controls of [Flight&nbsp;2](/source/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_2), a [Lockheed Super Electra](/source/Lockheed_Model_14_Super_Electra), when the plane crashed in [Montana](/source/Montana) on the afternoon of January&nbsp;10.<ref name=innmlmt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qaFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1769%2C691688 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |title=Airliner crashes northeast of Bozeman killing 10, including Nick Mamer, veteran aviator |date=January 11, 1938 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=bbuptk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fxZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ux8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1557%2C330790 |work=Bend Bulletin |location=Oregon |agency=United Press |last=Hanlon |first=William |title=Ten killed when airliner crashes in Montana during blizzard over mountains |date=January 11, 1938 |page=1}}</ref>

Parts of the tail section were torn from the aircraft as it flew over the [Bridger Range](/source/Bridger_Mountains_(Montana)), in [Gallatin County](/source/Gallatin_County%2C_Montana) northeast of [Bozeman](/source/Bozeman%2C_Montana), and the plane went into a dive and crashed. Mamer, co-pilot Fred West, and eight passengers died instantly, and a fire ensued.<ref name=innmlmt/><ref name=bbuptk/>
<ref name=bbbdw>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gBZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ux8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5373%2C298968|work=Bend Bulletin |location=Oregon |agency=United Press |last=Hanlon |first=William |title=Bodies of plane wreck victims brought from Montana mountains |date=January 12, 1938 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=recvwrk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qaFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1226%2C760799 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |title=Recover bodies from wreck |date=January 12, 1938 |page=2}}</ref> Later, an investigation revealed that the tail structure had failed on the new design from what is known as "natural [resonance](/source/resonance), or period of vibration".  It was the first fatal accident for the Super Electra and Northwest Airlines.

== See also ==
*[Northwest Airlines Flight 2](/source/Northwest_Airlines_Flight_2)

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.aerofiles.com/sungod.html Aerofiles:  The flight of the Spokane Sun-God]
*[https://www.historylink.org/File/8899 History Link.org] – essay 8899
*''[https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/mar/19/then-and-now-pilot-nick-mamer/ Spokesman-Review]'' – Then and Now: Pilot Nick Mamer
*{{Find a Grave|23327049}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamer, Nick}}
Category:1897 births
Category:1938 deaths
Category:American aviation record holders
Category:American aviation pioneers
Category:Aviators from Washington (state)
Category:Accidental deaths in Montana
Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
<!-- Category:National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees -->
Category:20th-century American people
Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1938

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nick Mamer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Mamer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Mamer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.