Coulson Aviation has discovered a last resting place for its 1945 Martin Mars waterbomber, often called the Hawaii Mars, a key a part of British Columbia historical past and one in every of solely two plane of the kind recognized to have survived.
The enduring Hawaii Mars shall be donated to the British Columbia Aviation Museum, the place it would kind the centrepiece of a wildfire aviation exhibit.
“We’ve got let go of the frustration of getting to retire the world’s biggest waterbomber, and now give attention to its superb aviation historical past, which dates again to 1945 when it was delivered to the U.S. Navy,” mentioned Coulson Aviation in a press release.
The Martin Mars is among the many largest plane ever constructed, a large “flying boat” that served for a number of many years in B.C. firefighting missions after being retired from navy service within the late Fifties.
Over a span of 55 years, two Mars plane — each acquired by Coulson in 2007 and often called the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars — dropped over 50 million gallons (roughly 189 million litres) of water on wildfires, the corporate mentioned.
“These airplanes are the undisputed world champions in aerial firefighting water supply and have undoubtedly confirmed the idea of an preliminary assault firstly of a wildfire,” mentioned Coulson.
“It has been an honour for our household to be entrusted with these plane and the hope they symbolize for the general public in time of want as now we have all been negatively impacted in a roundabout way by the devastation of wildfire.”
Preparations to retire the Hawaii Mars are set to start instantly, with its last flight from the Coulson Aviation Tanker Base in Port Alberni, B.C., to Victoria Worldwide Airport anticipated in late summer season or early fall.
Coulson will enlist a group of 5 former licensed upkeep engineers and 4 flight crew to finish about 10,000 hours of plane upkeep and “flight retraining” over the following six months, in keeping with the B.C. authorities.
The province is offering $250,000 in one-time funding for the undertaking.
“The Hawaii Martin Mars waterbomber is a proud image of B.C.’s ingenuity and innovation, representing cutting-edge expertise in aviation firefighting of its time,” mentioned Lana Popham, the province’s minister of tourism, arts, tradition and sport.
“We acknowledge the worth the Hawaii Martin Mars waterbomber holds for many individuals and have heard their want to have it housed within the British Columbia Aviation Museum, the place it may be displayed and guarded as an vital piece of our province’s historical past.”
The Hawaii Mars requires water to take off and land, so it would settle at Saanich Inlet, close to the Victoria airport, after which to Canadian Coast Guard Base Patricia Bay, a former seaplane port. At Patricia Bay, the plane shall be introduced up on a ramp, mounted on a trailer, and hauled throughout runways on the airport.
Throughout its navy service with the U.S. Navy, the Hawaii Mars was a transport provider and served as an air ambulance throughout the Korean Warfare. It was final deployed in the summertime of 2015 to extinguish wildfires in B.C., California, Mexico, and Alberta.
Solely six Martin Mars plane had been initially manufactured for the Navy, and two had been misplaced throughout navy operations. The remaining 4 plane, together with a number of spare components, had been offered to Forest Industries Flying Tankers (FIFT), a consortium of B.C. forestry firms, within the late Fifties, in keeping with B.C. Aviation Museum.
Fairey Aviation of Canada transformed the plane into waterbombers at Victoria Worldwide Airport, and the primary entered wildfire service in 1960. An aborted drop resulted in a crash that claimed the lives of 4 crew and destroyed the Marianas Mars plane in 1961, per the museum. Somewhat greater than a yr later, Hurricane Freda destroyed the Caroline Mars.
This left solely the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars, which went on to struggle over 4,000 forest fires utilizing their large 27,000-litre load capability. Vancouver Islanders ceaselessly gathered to look at these plane as they soared in motion throughout wildfire season, with their 2,500-horsepower Wright R3350-24WA engines turning 16-foot propellers.
“Whereas will probably be a monumental undertaking simply to get it right here, will probably be one huge jewel in our
crown,” mentioned Steve Nichol, president of the B.C. Aviation Museum. “The Hawaii Mars has actual historic and cultural worth.”
The museum’s wildfire exhibit already shows a number of plane, and there are plans to construct a 3rd interactive hangar to deal with the Mars and different planes, together with flight simulators that can permit friends to just about fly the Mars on waterbombing runs.
“I used to be fortunate to witness many demonstration apply drops after I swam on the lake typically as a child, after which later I knew of its intensive use after I was in forest firefighting,” mentioned Richard Mosdell, undertaking lead for the Save the Mars Workforce.
“Now after these previous two years of discussions … this enormous rescue puzzle is lastly being solved so that everybody can hear these similar tales and even sit approach up within the cockpit of this iconic plane.”
