Hawaii Martin Mars, a historic B.C. water bomber, completes its final flight

[Spazito]

Thousands gathered at Patricia Bay Park on Vancouver Island north of Victoria on Sunday to witness the final landing of the historic Hawaii Martin Mars, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for more than 50 years.

The massive aircraft, with a capacity to carry more than 27,000 litres of water, departed from its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni and landed in Saanich Inlet, before heading to its new home at the B.C. Aviation Museum.

Nine Canadian Forces Snowbirds jets also accompanied the water bomber in its last journey, passing over a number of communities en route to its final destination.

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The Hawaii 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. But when aviation technology progressed, the planes were retired and put up for auction.

According to the province, the Mars was later converted to serve as the largest air ambulance during the Korean War, capable of carrying more than 120 soldiers and medical personnel in one trip.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hawaii-martin-mars-last-flight-1.7291472


**When my family was on holiday, we stopped at Sproat Lake specifically to see the Martin Mars aircraft at their home base, this was in the 90s and there were two of them at that time. They were magnificent.