Mighty Martin Mars saved!
After more than two years of negotiations on the iconic Martin Mars waterbomber C-FLYL 'Hawaii Mars' (c/n 9267) its future seems secured at last. The current owner, Coulson Aviation has finally agreed to sell this gigantic flying boat to the British Columbia Aviation Museum (BCAM). Recognizing the value of the plane in Canadian aviation history, the BC Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Sport and Arts announced a USD 250,000 grant towards the rescue flight preparation!
But before the Mars can be handed over to the new owner and can be displayed in the museum 'some things' have to be done. The fact is that, after an operational career of more than half of a century, C-FLYL made its last fire fighting flights in 2015. Since then it was seldom flown, one of the last public outings was a trip to Oshkosh during Air Venture 2016.
We at Scramble are not aware of the date of its final flight until now, so if any of you readers would share this information at social at scramble.nl, we would be grateful. For sure is that it has to be prepared for the final flight from its current location at Sproat Lake to the Saanich Inlet near the Victoria International Airport where the museum is situated.
Coulson Aviation will enlist five former certified maintenance engineers and four flight crew to complete about 10,000 hours of aircraft preparation and flight retraining over the next six months to prepare the red-and-white Hawaii Martin Mars for its last flight. This final flight is expected before the end of 2024 and will be a multi-phased process that includes passing federal inspections, crew training and test flights. A flight plan is expected to be heavily publicized so people along the route will be able to see the plane fly a last time.
After landing at its final destination, the Mars will be brought up on a ramp at Canadian Coast Guard Base Patricia Bay, a former seaplane port, mounted on a trailer in a swivelling cradle and transported across Victoria International Airport runways. The museum is raising funds to build a new hangar to house the Martin Mars Hawaii and other B.C. firefighting aircraft on land donated by the Victoria Airport Authority. The new exhibit will be interactive, inviting visitors to explore the features of the aircraft up close.
The Hawaii is one of only two Martin Mars water bombers left. The other, C-FLYK 'Philippine Mars'(ex BuNo 76820, c/n 9264), was retired in 2012 and is not considered airworthy. There were plans for its sale to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola (FL) and for this reason it was repainted in its original US Navy colours. But the sale has, for various reasons, not seen a follow-up and C-FLYK still remains at the Coulson air base.
Scramble reported earlier on the possible sale of 'Hawaii Mars' here !
Photo: British Columbia Aviation Museum