2024: both giant Martin Mars waterbombers will get a new museum home. Pima Tucson Arizona, after BCAM Canada...

[Stratofreighter]

...see
https://www.cheknews.ca/coulson-aviatio ... m-1200988/

Coulson Aviation’s Philippine Mars Waterbomber to land permanently at Arizona museum
Posted: Apr. 25, 2024 9:50AM | Last Updated: Apr. 25, 2024 10:29AM

Coulson Aviation’s Philippine Mars will soon find its forever home at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, this year.
The Philippine Mars is one of only five Martin JRM Mars flying boats ever produced.

The Philippine Mars Waterbomber was one of the five surviving planes that were sold in 1958
to a group of timber companies in British Columbia and converted into the world’s largest waterbombers
, carrying 7,200 U.S. gallons (27,255 litres) per drop.

Coulson aviation also announced the donation of another Martin JRM Mars, the Hawaii Mars,
earlier this month to the BC Aviation Museum in Sidney.

“This has been an exciting month for both Martin Mars waterbombers,” said Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Group.
“As a fitting tribute to their years of service and years of hard work by many people in B.C. and the U.S.,
we are pleased to see both Mars aircraft landing to rest at world-class institutions in 2024.”

The Hawaii Mars and Philippine Mars are the only Martin JRM Mars aircraft remaining today.

Pima Air and Space Museum is one of the largest aerospace museums in the world and is excited to add the historic bomber to it’s collection.

[Stratofreighter]

....Martin Mars C-FLYL ‘Hawaii Mars’....

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british- ... -1.7291472

Hawaii Martin Mars, a historic B.C. water bomber, completes its final flight

Renowned aircraft to be housed in the B.C. Aviation Museum in North Saanich on Vancouver Island

CBC News · Posted: Aug 11, 2024 11:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Thousands gathered at Patricia Bay Park on Vancouver Island north of Victoria on Sunday to witness the final landing of the historic Hawaii Martin Mars, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for more than 50 years.

The massive aircraft, with a capacity to carry more than 27,000 litres of water, departed from its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni and landed in Saanich Inlet, before heading to its new home at the B.C. Aviation Museum.

Nine Canadian Forces Snowbirds jets also accompanied the water bomber in its last journey, passing over a number of communities en route to its final destination.

"It's kind of sad that it's the end of the story," said Peter Killin, a longtime pilot who flew the Hawaii Martin Mars' for the last time, along with Harbour Air's Rick Matthews on Sunday.

Killin, who has logged more than 1,000 hours of flying time with the water bomber, said he was introduced to the aircraft back in 2000 by Matthews and was then hired a year later to pilot the Mars and help fight forest fires.

The water bomber will become the centrepiece of a new wildfire exhibition at the B.C. Aviation Museum, in North Saanich, starting September 28.

Steve Nichol, president of the museum, said it will be "the jewel in the crown" of the museum's firefighting display.

"This is a once in a lifetime event," he said. "We're going to have it open every day for the public, just to see what it was like to be inside the Martin Mars. I think people will be fascinated by it."

Martin Mars water bomber to be 'centrepiece' in museum exhibit
The province says it has provided $250,000 to protect and preserve the aircraft as part of the exhibition.

https://vintageaviationnews.com/warbird ... video.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8uQOMQiaI

[janneman36]

Philippine Mars is to get the airworthy propellor assembly’s from Hawaii Mars.
This is temporally so this implies that the plane will be flown out
Cheers, Jan

[SBGrad]

From what I've heard, they will fly Philippine Mars to Lake Roosevelt, then disassemble it, and truck it to Pima.

[SBGrad]

...latest scoop on Philippine Mars...

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-new ... na-9770644

Plan is, overnight in SF, 2-3 days in San Diego (yay!), final leg to AZ

Back in 2009, Hawaii Mars spent the fire season at Lake Elsinore (north county).
This time, they'll probably use the lake again, vice trying to clear out traffic over SD Bay.

[SBGrad]

Theoretically, Philippine Mars leaving Canada this weekend...

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-new ... bc-9931008

Still no word on where they will put down in SF and SD.

[Stratofreighter]

https://aerialfiremag.com/2024/12/14/ph ... n-journey/

December 14, 2024:

Coulson Aviation announced that the Philippine Mars aircraft is scheduled to depart from Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, BC,
Sunday, December 15, at 10:00 AM PST, weather permitting.

The Philippine Mars will begin its trip with a flyby at Harbour Quay in Port Alberni before continuing to Victoria, BC.
If weather and schedules permit,
it will conduct a symbolic flyby alongside its sister aircraft, the Hawaii Mars.

The aircraft’s route includes a stop in San Francisco, Calif.,
for customs clearance and to comply with the requirement to stop before sunset.

The Martin JRM Mars aircraft, once based in nearby Alameda, Calif., will anchor for two days in the Alameda Lagoon,

where it was originally operated by the U.S. Navy.

From there, it will fly along the coast to San Diego,
participating in scheduled events and video documentation.

Its planned water landing will occur near the Coronado Bridge,
with a touchdown close to the USS Midway Museum,
where it will anchor in San Diego Bay overnight.

[Stratofreighter]

...and Philippine Mars / C-FLYK is airborne, just flew over Nanaimo...

[Stratofreighter]

...flight trackers not working, this is some sort of "live-stream"...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1nfYiwlVSc

[Stratofreighter]

...and Philippine Mars / C-FLYK is airborne, just flew over Nanaimo...

Propeller of engine number four / outer starboard engine got feathered, the Martin Mars is currently circling west of Victoria International Airport.
It looks like this giant will not be leaving Canada this Sunday,
after all....

[Stratofreighter]

The flying boat landed in Pat Bay, Victoria.
Quite near Hawaii Mars, actually.

Sproat Lake / Port Alberni fogged in, returning was not really the best option, apparently.