Old Missoula

Mamer’s Bid Low For Woods Patrol

Spokane Concern to Fly Over Forests of Region Next Summer.

Airplane patrol over the forests of Western Montana and Northern Idaho again will be flown by the Mamer Air Transport of Spokane, it was announced at the Forest Service Tuesday following opening of bids. Nick Mamer, Spokane pilot, submitted the low estimate.

Mr. Mamer’s bid was $16.44 an hour for forest patrol, with the Forest Service guaranteeing a minimum of 120 hours, the amount to be determined by the requirements of the fire season. He was also awarded the contract for all air transport out of Spokane. The base for forest patrol by air will be maintained at Spokane, as has been the case since it was initiated.

Four bids were submitted for air patrol. This will be the fourth season that Mamer’s company will have the contract. Prior to 1928, when Army planes were used, he was the pilot. Now the contractor furnishes everything except the observer, provided by the Forest Service, Howard Flint and Jack Jost having had this detail in the past.

The Buck & Schreck Transport company were low bidders for air transportation out of Kalispell. H. C. Holloway submitted the low bid for air transportation from Great Falls. R. E. Morrison presented the low bid for air transportation from Helena.

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on May 17, 1933.

 

Air Mapping Is Being Done Here

Flint Covers 2,000 Square Miles During Summer Season.

Aerial photograph mapping, conducted by Howard Flint from the Mamer planes this summer, has been completed in 2,000 square miles of forest land in the St. Joe, Kootenai and Blackfoot forests. Mr. Flint was in Missoula Monday, and said that approximately 400 square miles remained to be covered in this fashion from the air.

Only four forest patrol trips for fire danger were necessary out of Spokane this summer, Mr. Flint, who has been observer for air patrol in this region since its inception said. Supplies and material were flown to inaccessible regions, with Robert Johnson of Missoula last week completing the transport of a 40-foot lookout tower to Cayuse, on the Clearwater forest.

Mr. Flint has been serving as liaison officer for the Forest Service with the Fort Wright district of the Conservation corps, which has 45 camps in Northern Idaho.

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on September 26, 1933.

 

Nick Mamer was a phenomenal pilot based in Spokane, Washington until his death in a plane crash near Bozeman, Mt. in 1938.

 

A link to one of many interesting Mamer sites is found below:

http://www.earlyaviators.com/emamer.htm