WWII-Era Martin Mars Was Assembled In Middle River

An astute Aero-News reader called our attention Tuesday to efforts by Maryland's Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum to bring a WWII-era Martin Mars seaplane back home.

The museum is working to acquire one of the two remaining Martin Mars seaplanes from TimberWest Forest Corporation in British Columbia, Canada, and bring the aircraft back home to Middle River, MD. That's where the planes were manufactured, between 1941 and 1945, at the Glenn L. Martin Company.

The planes have been serving as water-bombers, fighting forest fires in the Northwest. The museum says the Mars aircraft are in excellent, airworthy condition after more than 60 years of flying.

Acquiring a Martin Mars would be a major coup for the museum, as it is among the world's most famous aircraft. The Mars holds the distinction of being the largest seaplane in history to enter production, as well as the largest seaplane to serve the military. It is still one of the biggest aircraft ever built, and is the largest plane ever built in Maryland.

The Mars has a 200-foot wingspan, which is larger than most Boeing 747 airliners. The aircraft remains a local icon; its name, Mars, was the inspiration behind the naming of the Mars supermarket chain, Mars Estates, Mars Estates elementary school, and other local entities in Baltimore County.

The museum hopes to display the Mars as the centerpiece of its aircraft collection. 

With a very short bidding period to acquire the airplane, the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum needs to raise significant funds immediately -- and is seeking financial assistance from governments, organizations, and individual donors. The Museum is also looking for volunteer support in a variety of roles, as well as donations of Mars related artifacts, photos, documents, stories, oral histories, and mementos.

The Museum's goal to bring a piece of history back to its birthplace before it is lost forever to the scrap yard -- or, the museum notes, an out of town buyer.

Information on how to contribute to the project is available at the FMI link below.

FMI: www.marylandaviationmuseum.org