Hawaii Mars makes final flight to resting place at BC Aviation Museum

The iconic Hawaii Mars, a 1945 Martin Mars waterbomber that has been a longtime symbol of firefighting in British Columbia, took to the skies for its last ever flight on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Thousands of spectators gathered at Patricia Bay off Vancouver Island to watch the historic aircraft — which is one of only two remaining in the world — make its final landing, before being transported to its forever home at the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich, B.C.

The Hawaii Martin Mars, which had its last active firefighting season in 2015, has been meticulously maintained by Coulson Aviation since its retirement. Now, the 120-foot-long aircraft will serve as a permanent historical exhibit at the museum, commemorating its 50-year legacy in Canadian aviation forest firefighting.

As the largest waterbomber in the world, the Mars has an impressive 200-foot wingspan and was capable of dropping more then 25,000 litres of water per run in its firefighting days. The impact the aircraft has had, both within and outside the aviation community, is truly remarkable — proven by the mass interest seen by both Coulson and the BC Aviation Museum surrounding the final flight.

“The enthusiastic response from both the local and aviation communities has been incredible,” said Coulson Aviation in a Facebook post on Aug. 7. “Our dedicated team has been working tirelessly to prepare the aircraft for this significant moment.

“It’s bittersweet for all of us. . . . We wish the airplane a safe last flight and will all miss it!”

The aircraft lifted off from Sproat Lake, B.C., at 3:20 p.m. local time on Aug. 11. But before embarking on its final flight route, the Mars performed a goodbye flyover around the lake with the Coulson family proudly on board.

Piloted by Peter Killin and Rick Matthews, the Mars made its way up to Comox, then south to the coast of Nanaimo, and on to Croften where it met up with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. Nine Snowbirds jets flew in formation with the Mars enroute to its final destination at Patricia Bay, making for an unforgettable display for spectators.

The Mars arrived at Pat Bay at around 7 p.m. local time, and the landing was broadcast live on YouTube by the museum. At the time of publishing this article, the stream had garnered over 110,000 views.  

According to the BC Aviation Museum, the final flight route commemorated the “significance of the forest industry’s original establishment of the unique Martin Mars waterbomber program in the early 1960s,” as the aircraft passed over several forest communities in B.C.

Now that the Hawaii Mars has arrived at Pat Bay, the aircraft is set to be removed from the water on Aug. 14 between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. by a partnership between Nickel Brothers Moving, the BC Aviation Museum, Coulson Aviation, and Cold Water Divers.

“The Hawaii Mars will be deftly manoeuvred through the IOS breakwaters and slowly winched up a Coast Guard ramp onto the IOS concrete apron property,” the museum stated. “This moment brings the Hawaii Mars full circle as this was the original ramp and location used in 1960 to bring the aircraft on land to convert it into that era’s cutting-edge water bomber.”

The Mars will then be lifted into a 360-movable heavy-haul trailer, which will take the waterbomber to its display location outside the museum.

The grand opening of the display is slated for Sept. 28. The museum said it is a planning a unique “open experience,” where visitors may explore the inside of the aircraft and even take a seat at the controls.  

Skies had the opportunity to participate in exclusive air-to-air photoshoots the day before the Hawaii Mars’ final flight, as well as during the final flight on Aug. 11. Check out the gallery below to see some of the incredible photos captured by our photographers, Heath Moffatt and Derek Heyes, with the photoship provided by Steve Fuhr: