Wilmer Stultz
20th-century American aviator
Wilmer Lower Stultz (April 11, 1900, July 1, 1929) was an aviator who made the first non-stop flight between New York City and Havana, Cuba. He flew Amelia Earhart when she became the first woman to make a trans-Atlantic flight. He died in a crash in 1929.
01Biography
He was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, 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, testing the F5L flying boat.
He married Mildred Potts of Middletown, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1919.
On March 5, 1928, Stultz, Oliver Colin LeBoutillier, and Mabel Boll on an improvised seat, made the first non-stop flight in the Columbia between New York City and Havana, Cuba (c. 1300 mi.).
Stultz was the pilot of the Fokker Trimotor "Friendship" on June 18, 1928, when Amelia Earhart became the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean by airplane.
Stultz was killed in a crash at Roosevelt Field in Mineola, New York on July 1, 1929. Two passengers were also killed. It was firstly reported that he had been intoxicated on the flight, but later he was vindicated of the charge. He was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania.
02Legacy
Stultz Field in Tipton, Pennsylvania, was named in his honor.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Wilmer Stultz”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Wilmer Lower Stultz 1928.png by Unknown author, Fair use
- Wilmer Stultz Pg 36- 20 Hours 40 Min.jpg by Amelia Earhart, Public domain
- Aviator Wilmer Stultz in 1928 (cropped).jpg by Leslie Ronald Jones, Public domain
- The flight of the Friendship, June 17-June 18, 1928, NYT map.png by R. J. Walrath, New York Times cartographer, Public domain
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