History of Carl Mather

Mather Field was named for Second Lieutenant Carl Mather, and Air Force test pilot who was killed in an air collision at Ellington Field, Texas in January 1918. He earned his pilot's license at the age of 16 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps on January 20, 1918. Five days later, he was killed during one of the first training classes for World War I pilots. The remainder of his class was re-stationed at Mills Field and requested that the facility be renamed in Mather's honor. On May 2, 1918, the name was changed to Mather Field, the precursor to Mather Air Force Base and today's Mather Airport.

During this time, Liberty Iron Works in North Sacramento produced Curtiss JN-4 aircraft that were delivers to Mather Field to help train pilots for the war. On June 11, 1918 a Sacramento-built Curtiss JN-4 piloted by Lieutenant John F. Buffington became the first aircraft to take off from Mather field. Post war Jennies were used for a number of non-military purposes.

The 1920's
By 1923, most of the remaining personnel at Mather Field were sent to bases in other states and Mather Field was closed due to the decline in population at the field after the armistice agreement that halted World War I halted pilot training at Mather Field.

The 1930's
In 1930, Mather Field was selected as the site for an all Air Corps tactical exercise. The Globe Wrecking Company of Chicago was hired to dismantle and demolish the buildings at Mather Field over the course of six months in late 1933.
In 1935, the abandoned airstrip was the ideal location for field training. The 70th Service squadron descended upon the lifeless field to erect tents and shelters to support the arriving 7th Bombardment Group from Hamilton Field for ten days.

The 1940's
However, the field would not be lifeless for long. Prior to the United States ' entrance into World War II, Mather Field began to be rebuilt and by 1941, the air base was fully reactivated. During World War II, Mather Field was used for pilot, navigator, observer, and bombardier training. Mather Air Force Base was also used as a stopover location for troops, aircraft, and materials that were on their way to or from combat duty in the Pacific.

The 1950's to 1990's
In 1958, the Strategic Air Command B-52 wing was assigned to the base. Although the squadron was inactivated in 1989, the aircraft continued to use the airfield for touch-and-go exercises. Mather Air Force base also operated as a center for inter-service and international undergraduate navigator training from the 1970's. Lastly, in the 1990's, Mather Air Force Base provided all formal long-range, over-water Air Force Navigator training.

The New Millennium
Currently, American Academy of Aeronautics, Atlantic Aviation, Mather Aviation, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Air Operations Bureau, and United Parcel Services all call Mather Field home.