Latest news with #CoulsonAviation
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Last Mars Flying Boat Just Made Its Final Flight
The last of the Martin Mars flying boats just made its final landing, arriving in Arizona, where its eternal resting place will be the Pima Air and Space Museum (PASM). It took off earlier today from San Francisco and touched down in Lake Pleasant, Arizona. From there the iconic aircraft will be partially disessmbled and trucked to PASM for display. It will be one of more than 400 aircraft calling the 80-acre PASM museum home. Originally developed for the U.S. Navy as a maritime patrol bomber and later reconfigured as a transport ferrying supplies between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, the Mars family of flying boats found their niche as firefighting water bombers. Philippine Mars landed in San Francisco on Sunday, making a pit stop on its way to its final destination after leaving its lakeside home in Vancouver, British Columbia. The flying boat was moored alongside the USS Hornet overnight in San Francisco Bay. The retired aircraft carrier now converted into a museum. Always a beautiful day on the USS Hornet! Yesterday the legendary WWII water bomber, Philippine Mars made a landing near the ship on its way to its final home at Pima Air & Space Museum. A rare sight to see two legends of the second world war, side by side! — USS Hornet Museum (@HornetMuseum) February 10, 2025 Coulson's Aviation Philippine Mars docking at the historic ex-NAS Alameda after the first leg of it's Retirement Tour. — Patriotic Capybara (@USAcapybara) February 10, 2025 Historic visit of Philippine Mars at Alameda Naval Air Station after so many years, on its way to the Pima Air & Space Museum for permanent display. #coulsonaviation @CoulsonAviation — CTP Watcher (@WatcherCtp) February 10, 2025 The Philippine Mars is on the move! After departing Sproat Lake yesterday, the aircraft is set to leave San Francisco today between 11–12 PT, continuing its journey to Arizona. Stay tuned for updates as it makes its way to its final home! #philippinemars# — Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 10, 2025 Philippine Mars took off on its final flight around noon local time today, passing over the Golden Gate Bridge and then south along the California coast before a more overland route after reaching Monterey Bay according to the FlightRadar tracking site. For a good part of the day, it was the site's most closely followed aircraft. The legendary Philippine Mars is on her way to Arizona, and thanks to our partnership with SKYTRAC, you can track her journey in real time! #coulsonaviation#philippinemartinmars Track her progress here: — Coulson Aviation (@CoulsonAviation) February 9, 2025 And lift off your of Philippine Mars C-FLYK from Oakland, next stop Arizona. #philippinemars #martiamars #cflyk #flynavy #pimaairandspacemuseum #aviationsafari #aviationpreservation #boneyardsafari #aviationadventures — Boneyard Safari (@Boneyardsafari) February 10, 2025 In 2007 Coulson Aircrane Ltd. purchased Philippine Mars and its sister aircraft, Hawaii Mars 'to expand its firefighting capabilities, establishing itself as the only operator at the time operating both fixed wing and rotary wing firefighting aircraft,' according to the company. The Martin Mars flying boats were unique aircraft. With a wingspan of 200 feet and a length of more than 117 feet, the Mars — in its ultimate configuration — tipped the scales at 165,000 pounds at its maximum takeoff weight. It was powered by four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines, each producing 2,500 horsepower. There were seven Martin Mars flying boats, all produced between 1942 and 1947, according to Coulson. 'The surviving fleet of four aircraft were sold in 1958 to a consortium of timber companies in British Columbia, Canada, and converted into the world's largest waterbombers carrying 7,200 U.S. gallons per drop,' according to Vintage Aviation News. 'The Mars fleet flew cargo between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands to support the U.S. Navy during World War II,' the company explained. 'After the war, they supported the Korean War with medical air transport lifts between Hawaii and California, later transitioning to cargo lift work between Hawaii and California before being decommissioned in 1956.' The surviving fleet of four aircraft was sold in 1958 'to a consortium of timber companies in British Columbia, Canada, and converted into the world's largest waterbombers carrying 7,200 U.S. gallons per drop.' Coulson purchased two of the aircraft, the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars, in 2007, which marked the beginning of the company's fixed-wing air tanker operations for aerial wildfire support. The Mars water bombers 'served the Province of British Columbia from 1960-2015 and over the span of 55 years dropped over 50 million gallons each which is more water on fires than any other single firefighting aircraft in history anywhere in the world.' The aircraft were put up for sale nearly a decade ago, but nobody bought them. Eventually, they were fully retired as the cost to fly and maintain them grew. A deal was later worked out to send Philippine Mars to PASM. As we previously reported earlier this year, its sister ship, Hawaii Mars, made a two-hour flight to its new home at the B.C. Aviation Museum in Sidney on Vancouver Island. Now that Philippine Mars has arrived in Arizona, there will be no more majestic Mars flying boats to ever grace the skies again, marking the end of an aviation era. Contact the author: howard@
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
B.C.'s legendary Martin Mars water bomber makes final journey to its permanent home
The Philippine Mars water bomber, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for nearly 50 years, has completed its final flight. The massive plane left its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, B.C., on Sunday, bidding farewell to B.C. After a brief stop in San Francisco, the aircraft landed in Arizona's Lake Pleasant on Monday evening. Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Aviation, the company that has owned the water bomber for years, confirmed the aircraft will be dismantled before being trucked to its final resting place at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson. "We're pleased to find a new home for it where it can live for eternity," said Coulson, speaking to CBC News from Arizona as the aircraft sat moored behind him. The Philippine Mars was one of six prototypes produced by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s for large-scale transport between the West Coast and Hawaii. However, as aviation technology advanced, the planes were retired and put up for auction. In the 1950s, B.C.'s forest industry purchased four of the aircraft and repurposed them into wildfire-fighting machines. Coulson Aviation purchased two in 2007—the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars. The Hawaii Mars was recently donated to the B.C. Aviation Museum in North Saanich. The Philippine Mars' final journey would have also come sooner, but the aircraft's departure from Sproat Lake was delayed several months due to mechanical issues, including an emergency landing in December. In recent weeks, Coulson Aviation says its team worked tirelessly to repair the plane, even using two engines from its sister plane, the Hawaii Mars, to get it airborne. "We felt that was a safer choice to move this particular airplane," Caulson said. WATCH | ome early footage of when the plane was first introduced to B.C.: Vancouver-based entrepreneur and aviation enthusiast Ian Bell, who first saw the Martin Mars in action at Sproat Lake about 50 years ago, recalls being awestruck by its size and power. "It was probably the most incredible thing I'd ever seen," Bell told CBC News. "Just the spectacle of seeing them do their thing is incredible." Bill also recalls the Martin Mars being a highlight at the Abbotsford Air Show for many years, where large crowds would watch in awe as the plane dropped its massive load of water between the runways. "I saw the Mars at the show every year for many, many years," he said. "I'm not sure when they stopped, but they always did the water drop demo. It was truly spectacular." He says the water bombers are beloved by many throughout the province, but as wildfire-fighting methods evolved, the aircraft's services became less needed. "The time has come for these planes to retire," Bell said. "They've found a dignified way to spend their final years." Coulson says the Philippine Mars will be available for viewing at the Pima Air and Space Museum in the next four to six weeks.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
WWII-era Philippine Mars flying boat makes stopover in Alameda: photos
ALAMEDA, Calif. (KRON) — There was an actual seaplane in Alameda's Seaplane Lagoon Monday morning. Ferry riders and other people out on their morning commute or dog walk were treated to the spectacle of the Philippine Mars, a World War II-era flying boat anchored in the lagoon, just a couple hundred yards away from the ferry terminal. The hulking vessel is one of the last two remaining Martin JRM flying boats, according to a report in Vintage Aviation News. The Philippine Wars saw action in the Second World War, first as a transport aircraft, and later as a water bomber. The aircraft left its previous base on Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island in British Columbia on Sunday morning and landed in the waters off Alameda shortly after Super Bowl kickoff at around 4 p.m. The Alameda landing was a homecoming of sorts for the Philippine Mars, which was based at the old Alameda Naval Air Station when it was an active-duty naval plane. Cold, clear Monday before rain arrives later this week According to the plane's operator, Coulson Aviation, the Philippine Mars is on its way to its final home at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The plane was originally scheduled to depart for Arizona back in December. However, it was postponed due to engine issues. The Philippine Mars, which according to the San Francisco Chronicle, flew cargo between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands during World War II, will remain anchored in Alameda for two days before resuming its journey. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
