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The famous Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber is taking to the skies one last time before landing at North Saanich’s BC Aviation Museum (BCAM), where it will become “the crown jewel” of a growing exhibit showing aircraft used to fight wildfires. The red and white Martin Mars’ final flight is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 11, and the museum is inviting the public to spectate the landing, which it calls a “once-in-a-lifetime” event that will feature the Snowbirds flying alongside the plane. It will land on the ocean in Pat Bay, beside the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) and Coast Guard base, before being moved to the museum, its “forever home,” according to BCAM.
“(It’s) like seeing the space shuttle launch, as this is not only the last flight of this Mighty Martin Mars, but it will also arrive in formation with all nine planes of the amazing Canadian Forces Snowbirds demonstration team,” it says.
The four-engine, 10,000-horsepower plane is expected to arrive between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., weather-dependent. It will culminate its latest journey, which began last week with test flights at Sproat Lake. It’s being flown from Port Alberni to Campbell River and Powell River, then back to Comox and down the coast. According to the BCAM, this flight route is significant. The Hawaii Mars will pass over several B.C. forest communities to commemorate the forest industry’s original establishment of the unique Martin Mars water bomber program in the early ’60s.
Last week, Coulson Aviation’s Wayne Coulson said it had been “several years” since the plane was flown, and crews were “ecstatic” to get it off the ground. “It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s old school, but it certainly puts a smile on our faces and a tear in our eyes,” pilot Peter Killin said in an interview with CHEK News last week.
The BCAM says the Hawaii Mars, part of the decades-old Mars program, is the largest of its kind in the world with a 200-foot wingspan. In its firefighting days, it could drop more than 25,000 litres of water on each run, and now it’s one of only two such planes remaining that were part of the decades-old Mars program.
“The museum warmly thanks everyone at Coulson Aviation for their incredible hard work in preparing and delivering the aircraft for donation,” the BCAM says.
It says people can visit bcam.net for updated land and water viewing maps, which will highlight ideal places to view the landing. The Hawaii Mars can also be tracked using Flightrade24, a global tracking service, when putting in code CFLYL. Additionally, live flight details will be on the BCAM Facebook page.
Tour the plane this September
The Martin Mars will undergo de-watering before being maneuvered through the IOS breakwaters, slowly winched up a Coast Guard ramp and eventually lifted into a heavy-haul trailer. A midnight move, which could take several hours, will see crews transport it to the museum, where it will displayed outside. The BCAM says it will take several weeks to complete final open display preparations, but spectators can still walk around the outside of the plane before the official ribbon cutting on Sept. 28. Then, an open experience format will allow people to explore the inside and even get to sit in the pilot’s chair, which is four stories above the ground.
The Snowbirds are proud to be able to fly alongside “the icon of Canadian aerial forest fighting…” according to Major Brent Handy, team lead.
“The Snowbirds salute the brave firefighters, in the air and on the ground, that work to protect our country from wildfires and we are excited to see this piece of aviation history be preserved and on display to honour and inspire aviators past, present and future.”
The BCAM says the event is highly anticipated.
“The enthusiastic response from both the local and aviation communities has been incredible. For the safety of our crew, the aircraft, and the Sproat Lake boating community, we won’t be sharing specific flight details, but we look forward to welcoming this historic plane to its new home at the museum,” it adds.
(Source: CHEK News, Ethan Morneau. Photo/Heath Moffatt)
