Wilmer Lower Stultz (April 11, 1900 – July 1, 1929) was an aviator who made the first non-stop flight between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. He died in a crash in 1929.

Biography

He was born in

Williamsburg, Pennsylvania Williamsburg in Morrisons Cove, is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,241 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Me ...

, on April 11, 1900. Stultz joined the United States Army Air Force on 22 August 1917 and was assigned to the 634th Aero Supply Squadron, reaching the rank of Sergeant. He was discharged on 31 March 1919. Stultz then joined the United States Naval Air Service in December that year, training at Pensacola, Florida. He served at

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic O ...

, testing the F5L flying boat. He married Mildred Botts of Middletown, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1919. On March 5, 1928, Stultz, Oliver Colin LeBoutillier, and

Mabel Boll Mabel Boll (December 1, 1893 – April 11, 1949), known as the "Queen of Diamonds", was an American socialite involved in the early days of record-setting airplane flights in the 1920s. She garnered nicknames from the press, including "Broadwa ...

on an improvised seat, made the first non-stop flight in the ''Columbia'' between New York City and

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(c. 1300 mi.). Stultz was the pilot of the

Fokker Trimotor The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence. Design and dev ...

"Friendship" on June 18, 1928, when

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

became the first woman passenger to cross the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

by airplane. Stultz died on July 1, 1929, after he crashed while intoxicated at Roosevelt Field in

Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...

. Two passengers were also killed. He was buried in the

Presbyterian Cemetery Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

Legacy

Stultz Field in

Tipton, Pennsylvania Tipton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2010 census. It was a stop on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line between Tyrone and Altoona. Geography Tipton is l ...

, was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stultz, Wilmer 1900 births 1929 deaths Aviators from Pennsylvania Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States People from Blair County, Pennsylvania