Summary The iconic Hawaii Martin Mars will be making its final flight on Sunday, August 11 along the east coast of Vancouver Island. The Canadian Forces Snowbird team will be escorting the aircraft to its landing spot in Pat Bay, with the public welcome to watch. Coulson Aviation has been diligently preparing the aircraft for its final journey to the BC Aviation Museum after years of operation.
On Wednesday, August 7th, the British Columbia Aviation Museum announced the date for the famous Hawaii Martin Mars aircraft's final flight. The legendary aircraft's final flight is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 11, pending good flight conditions. The BC Aviation Museum is set to display the aircraft at its growing BC Wildfire Aviation exhibit.
The final flight Currently, the designated flight route for the Hawaii Martin Mars is set to fly along the east coast of Vancouver Island. The aircraft is scheduled to land in Pat Bay in between 18:00 and 18:30 local time, depending on the weather. The Martin Mars will be escorted by the Canadian Forces Snowbird demonstration team, which consists of nine CT-114 Tutors.
The flight path will be displayed on common flight radar applications and websites for aviation enthusiasts to track. Additionally, the BC Aviation Museum welcomes the public to come and watch the arrival of the aircraft. This is scheduled to be the aircraft's final flight as it finds its final resting place at the museum.
Coulson Aviation , which is the company that restored the aircraft over the last several weeks, spoke about the significance of the aircraft's final flight. The company stated, "We are proud to see the Hawaii Mars make its final journey to the British Columbia Aviation Museum. Our dedicated team has been working tirelessly to prepare the aircraft for this significant moment.
The enthusiastic response from both the local and aviation communities has been incredible." Preparing for weeks The Hawaii Martin Mars was originally introduced to the United States Navy in 1946. However, it was sold in 1959 and used as a water tanker to fight forest fires.
It was in operation with several companies, including Forest Industries Flying Tankers (FIFT), Flying Tankers Inc (FTI), and the Coulson Aviation Group, until as late as 2015. Coulson Aviation has provided significant upgrades over the years, including a glass cockpit, and also restored the aircraft to flying condition recently. The aircraft also required extensive inspections and approval from the government.
In June, the Coulson Aviation President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Britt Coulson, spoke about the preparation process. Coulson stated, "Our Mars maintenance and flight crews have been working diligently to prepare the aircraft for its final flight. Despite what you might have seen in the media, the maintenance of this aircraft is still in flux.
Various factors continue to impact the schedule, making it difficult to establish a precise completion and delivery date. However, we are pleased to announce that we have surpassed its original expected fall arrival date." The Hawaii Mars is one of two remaining Martin JRM-3 Mars waterbombers.
The other, the Philippine Mars , is also owned by Coulson Aviation and will be sent to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Only seven JRM Mars were built, but the aircraft was used as a long-range ocean patrol flying boat by the United States Navy for several years. After it was decommissioned, four of the surviving aircraft were used for aerial firefighting.
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