The Famous Aircraft’s Legacy Will Continue in the BC Aviation Museum

The British Columbia Aviation Museum shared that the Hawaii Martin Mars made its last flight on Sunday, August 11th. The aircraft is now permanently displayed in the museum’s Wildfire Aviation Exhibit.

The Martin JRM Mars is a four-engine water bomber produced by Martin Company. It was designed for the U.S. Navy’s use in World War II, where it served as a cargo transport and long-range ocean patrol seaplane. This aircraft quickly became recognized as a feat of the American military as it was the largest Allied aircraft built during the war. In total, only seven were built (including the prototype). Four remained operative after the war, which were put back to work as civilian firefighting aircraft.

Two Martin JRM-3 Mars waterbombers are still operational, one of them being the Hawaii Mars. The other, the Philippine Mars, will be relocated to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Both of these aircraft are owned by Coulson Aviation. This company has put extensive effort into upgrading the pair’s avionics and preparing them for their last flights.

The Hawaii Mars’ final flight path was visible on several common flight radars. It flew along Vancouver Island’s east coast, making its way through several checkpoints for aviation enthusiasts to view. The aircraft then passed over Victoria, escorted by the Snowbirds Demonstration Team. It touched down in Pat Bay around 7:00 pm local time, where hundreds of viewers waited to celebrate its legacy.

The aircraft will now be on display at the BC Aviation Museum’s Wildfire Aviation Exhibit. This attraction has over 40 full-sized aircraft on display, celebrating nearly a century of Aviation history. It is located on the grounds of the Victoria International Airport in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.

FMI: www.martinmars.com