Rare Bird Flying South (forever); Martin Mars
12-11-2024 | 12:14 PM
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From: WB Cpt
Rare Bird Flying South (forever); Martin Mars
http://www.timescolonist.com/local-n...ave-bc-9931008
Coulson Aviation donated its last Mars flying boat to the Pima Air Museum. After a decade-plus out of firefighting service, the ship is being made ferry-worhy for the trip from Vancouver Island to Tucson. I recall one of these beasts flying over our house in British Columbia during fire supression ops about 15 years ago. Nothing quite like the sound of four Wright Cyclones not eaxactly in sync passing overhead at something like 200 feet. The sister ship took a much shorter last flight in August, to it's new home at the BC Aviation Museum at CYYJ. It's a good little museum as it is - this monstrosity will really put it on the map. Worth a look if you are ever near Victoria. The museum is justt down the block from Viking Air, where you can find a brand-new DHC-6 Twin Otter, or a reman Turbo Beaver. They also own the Dash 8 program, since Bombardier bailed.
For the uninitiated, the Mars is a flying boat, not an amphib. I assume the trip from Port Alberni to Tucson can be accomplished non-stop, as Google states that in USN service they had a 4000+ mile range. If fuel is needed and there is no seaplane base, it requires a dock or a beach with fuel truck access. Envronmentalists love it when a seaplane drops into Lake Tahoe for fuel!
The arrival point in Tuscon is being kept covert. There's worries about too many gawkers in order to land safely. Whatever the case, there's not much water near the Pima facility, so there's going to be a fairly long ground movement in any event.
Coulson Aviation donated its last Mars flying boat to the Pima Air Museum. After a decade-plus out of firefighting service, the ship is being made ferry-worhy for the trip from Vancouver Island to Tucson. I recall one of these beasts flying over our house in British Columbia during fire supression ops about 15 years ago. Nothing quite like the sound of four Wright Cyclones not eaxactly in sync passing overhead at something like 200 feet. The sister ship took a much shorter last flight in August, to it's new home at the BC Aviation Museum at CYYJ. It's a good little museum as it is - this monstrosity will really put it on the map. Worth a look if you are ever near Victoria. The museum is justt down the block from Viking Air, where you can find a brand-new DHC-6 Twin Otter, or a reman Turbo Beaver. They also own the Dash 8 program, since Bombardier bailed.
For the uninitiated, the Mars is a flying boat, not an amphib. I assume the trip from Port Alberni to Tucson can be accomplished non-stop, as Google states that in USN service they had a 4000+ mile range. If fuel is needed and there is no seaplane base, it requires a dock or a beach with fuel truck access. Envronmentalists love it when a seaplane drops into Lake Tahoe for fuel!
The arrival point in Tuscon is being kept covert. There's worries about too many gawkers in order to land safely. Whatever the case, there's not much water near the Pima facility, so there's going to be a fairly long ground movement in any event.
12-15-2024 | 04:41 PM
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Only made 7 Mars? Been a long time but that’s a no joke cyclone symphony coming off those exhaust stacks. Of course, they neglected to hang the throttles upside down. Didn't work any different but it sure looks cool. So the link provided won’t follow the tail number anymore. Even though they made a big deal of donating an event password. Too bad. Hopefully somebody got a YouTube vid out of it.
12-16-2024 | 03:01 PM
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Philippine Mars, floating in Victoria.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...oria-1.7412002
A rare and historic water bomber that was on its final journey from British Columbia to a museum in Arizona was forced to make an emergency landing near Victoria due to mechanical issues.
Last edited by METO Guido; 12-16-2024 at 03:23 PM.
12-16-2024 | 03:28 PM
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12-21-2024 | 07:55 AM
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As the prop turns...
Times Colonist B.C.
Philippine Mars is set to stay in Patricia Bay for Christmas, its trip to an American aviation museum likely delayed to the second or third week of January.
The hulking vintage aircraft took off last Sunday from its Sproat Lake base for the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona — where it is set to become an exhibit — but had to reverse course due to an engine problem that turned out be a blown cylinder.
It was flown to Patricia Bay for repairs, but the decision was made to keep it there for now. Crews will be working on it in the new year, Wayne Coulson, chief executive of plane owner Coulson Aviation, said Friday evening.
The idea is to give the retired water bomber one last mechanical overview by Coulson Aviation engineers before another attempt to make the trip to Arizona, Coulson said.
“We want to go through the engines again and make sure all the valves are dialed in on the other motors,” he said.
Coulson said another consideration was that the aircraft would face 30- to 40-knot headwinds along the way, which would require burning a lot of fuel.
“Then we were going to have to fuel up in San Francisco.”
Philippine Mars is set to stay in Patricia Bay for Christmas, its trip to an American aviation museum likely delayed to the second or third week of January.
The hulking vintage aircraft took off last Sunday from its Sproat Lake base for the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona — where it is set to become an exhibit — but had to reverse course due to an engine problem that turned out be a blown cylinder.
It was flown to Patricia Bay for repairs, but the decision was made to keep it there for now. Crews will be working on it in the new year, Wayne Coulson, chief executive of plane owner Coulson Aviation, said Friday evening.
The idea is to give the retired water bomber one last mechanical overview by Coulson Aviation engineers before another attempt to make the trip to Arizona, Coulson said.
“We want to go through the engines again and make sure all the valves are dialed in on the other motors,” he said.
Coulson said another consideration was that the aircraft would face 30- to 40-knot headwinds along the way, which would require burning a lot of fuel.
“Then we were going to have to fuel up in San Francisco.”
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