Aviation History: Nick Mamer Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

Rock Rabbit: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this listing, so I must regretfully archive it.

More
Hidden : 7/10/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Aviation History: Nick Mamer

Check out the 40 ft tall art deco clock erected in 1939 as a memorial to Lt. Nick Mamer! It was designed to be large enough to be read by pilots landing or taking off. Also notice the nearby 1943 neon/metal sign of a saluting gasoline attendant. Nick's life-story could be made into a great movie! Permission has been granted by airport authorities to place this cache. However, since this cache is located on airport property this is designated as a daytime-only cache.


The Fascinating Life of Nick Mamer

Nicholas B. “Nick” Mamer (1897-1938) was a noted aviation pioneer in the Pacific Northwest during the 1920s and 1930s. Nick, who was born in Hastings, Minnesota. At age 18 he enlisted in the U.S Army and was trained as an electrician. He was assigned duty during during WWI in a newly established Aero unit in Panama protecting the Canal Zone. He participated in reconnaissance missions first as an observer and later as a pilot. Nick was transferred to Princeton University in New Jersey for pilot training and was commissioned as a Second Lt and assigned to Kelly Field in Texas as a flight instructor. Early stories about Nice sometimes tell about his service in France, however, the War ended before he would be transferred away from Texas.

Back in Minnesota, following his honorable discharge, Nick joined a barnstorming company that put on exciting motorcycle, car and aero flight shows at fairs and other public gatherings. His piloting skills were exemplary and the following year he was offered a better paying position with a barnstorming company in Spokane, WA. While living in Spokane Nick was invited by US Forest Service to begin providing aerial fire detection flights over some of the forests of the Western States. As a result of the initial success of this revolutionary method of fire detection Mamer received an appointment in June of 1925 as a forest fire patrol pilot for eastern Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana.

During the time with the US Forest Service he was also running the Mamer Flying Service, providing flying instruction and charter flying. In the spring of 1928 Mamer started offering scheduled flights between Minneapolis and Spokane as well as Spokane to Pasco, Portland and Seattle, doing business as Mamer Air Transport, which eventually became the final leg of transcontinental flights offered by Northwest Airways. Nick’s fame began in 1927 when he entered and won third place in the Class A division from New York to Spokane at the National Air Races sponsored by the city of Spokane.

Mamer Air Transport Logo


First to Fly Round-Trip and Non-Stop Coast to Coast!

Nick is perhaps best remembered for his long-distance endurance flight that began on August 15, 1929. Mamer was at the controls, and he was accompanied by Art Walker acting as a mechanic and refueling hose man. They flew a 300 H.P. Buhl “Sesquiplane” (a biplane with a short lower wing) named the “Spokane Sun-God” in a round trip from Spokane to San Francisco, on to New York and back to Spokane, without intermediate stops, thus becoming the first to fly coast to coast and back without ever landing their aircraft.


Even with the best prior planning Mamer and Walker encountered numerous difficulties. Refueling in mid-air had been done before but never on a transcontinental flight. It was done by lowering a garden hose, or 5-gallon fuel cans of gasoline, from the refueling plane. A hole was cut in the top of the plane for Walker to retrieve the gas being passed to him in cans or by hose as well as to pass food to the two men. On one refueling attempt the garden hose was cut by Mamer’s propeller and fuel was sprayed all over Mamer and Walker. At other times they battled thin air and lack of oxygen. One refueling even had to be done in the darkness of night because of their low fuel supply. Additionally, stormy weather hampered their flight plan. There was no means of communication so to send messages to the ground they dropped rocks with notes attached. Ground crews would retrieve the messages and pass them on the refueling crew on the ground.


Refuling in the air. Texaco photo.



In five days they had been in the air for just over 120 consecutive hours and had refueled 11 times. Among the records set were: (1) World record for nonstop flight mileage of 7,200 miles. (2) First transcontinental refueling flight. (3) First night refueling flight. (4) First aerial refueling conducted above 8,000 feet.

News accounts at the time called the flight, which was sponsored by the National Air Derby Association of Spokane, “the hottest thing yet in the aviation world.” It was reported that 10,000 spectators were on hand to witness Mamer’s heroic return to Spokane after 120-plus hours aloft.


Art Walker and Nick Mamer


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”.

Congratulations to "Lookout Lisa" for being the First to Find.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Abegu Fvqr, oruvaq ohfu

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?

Bookmark Lists

View all 5 bookmark lists...