Martin Mars nears end of storied career
Coulson, the owner of timber tracts and Coulson Flying Tankers has, since 2007, owned and operated the last two Martin Mars flying boats still in service, a service life spanning 71 years that is now drawing to a close.
Government officials in Canada have opted to hire smaller, modern aircraft to fight the thickly forested region’s many forest fires, and the future for this massive tanker with a history that began with service as a
U.S. Navy flying hospital will most likely be limited to static display.
Coulson questions the wisdom of those who opted to hire much smaller air tankers to fight British Columbia fires, a decision that could doom the Hawaii Mars if Coulson is unable to find a buyer.
Coulson said the government decision is shortsighted, made by people who have never lived in a raging fire’s path, or seen the lumbering giant swoop in to save the day.
“They don’t know what it’s like ... to have a monster aircraft come in and kill the fire,” Coulson said.
Coulson is working on a deal with the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla., to trade the Philippine Mars, built in 1946, for other vintage aircraft, along with parts for the C-130 Hercules he operates in firefighting service.
The Philippine Mars, one of seven Martin Mars flying boats built and among five that saw extensive service, has been repainted with its original U.S. Navy markings in preparation for its final journey.
Coulson hopes to trade the Hawaii Mars, the remaining Martin Mars, with another government, though that is an uncertain prospect.
“I don’t know that I’m going to pull it off,” Coulson said. “It still has a lot of life left in it … There might be another country that sees value in it.”
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Credit: Jim Moore/AOPA.
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