The Hawaii Mars water bomber will be taking one final flight.

The iconic red-and-white Martin Mars water bomber will be flying to its new home at the British Columbia Aviation Museum later this year, after a $250,000 funding announcement by the province. The funding will sa国际传媒減rotect and preservesa国际传媒� the Hawaii Mars sa国际传媒渁s a significant part of B.C.sa国际传媒檚 aviation history,sa国际传媒� says the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

The water bombersa国际传媒檚 final flight from Coulson Aviation Tanker Base on Sproat Lake in Port Alberni to the Saanich Inlet beside Victoria International Airport is expected to take place before the end of 2024 and will be a multi-phase process that involves passing federal inspections, crew training and test flights.

Coulson Aviation will enlist five former certified maintenance engineers and four flight crew to complete approximately 10,000 hours of aircraft preparation and flight retraining over six months. Pete Killin and Rick Matthews are two of the pilots that will be taking the Martin Mars on its final flight. Killin has more than 1,000 hours of flying time in the Mars.

sa国际传媒淚t deserves a proper resting place,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 think of a better place than to be the main attraction for the firefighting industry.sa国际传媒� He said the final water drop sa国际传媒渨ill be the pilots crying.sa国际传媒�

At the British Columbia Aviation Museum, the aircraft will be established as the centrepiece of a new B.C. wildfire aviation exhibit. The new exhibit will be interactive, inviting visitors to explore the features of the aircraft up close and foster an appreciation for its historical, cultural and aeronautical significance.

sa国际传媒淚 am fascinated by this aircraft and its historical ties to British Columbia,sa国际传媒� tourism minister Lana Popham said while standing under the giant wing of the Hawaii Mars.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a proud symbol of B.C.sa国际传媒檚 ingenuity, innovation and it is an impressive example of reuse, recycle and repurpose. If it werensa国际传媒檛 for a group of B.C. timber companies envisioning a new use for these aircraft, they might not have been part of B.C. history.sa国际传媒�

The Hawaii Mars was one of five Martin Mars aircraft originally conceived as military bombers in the United States during the Second World War. It started service in 1945 as a transport aircraft for the United States Navy.

It was later purchased by a consortium of timber companies in British Columbia and converted to a water bomber to protect the timber lands on Vancouver Island. In 2007, it was soldsa国际传媒攁long with the Philippine Marssa国际传媒攖o Port Albernisa国际传媒檚 Coulson Aviation.

The Hawaii Mars hasnsa国际传媒檛 taken part in firefighting action since 2015, when the province signed a 30-day agreement to use the aircraft. The contract was not renewed.

sa国际传媒淚t was the beginning in 2007 of our fixed wing air firefighting program,sa国际传媒� said Gary Collinge, representing the Coulson family at the announcement. Collinge has worked with Coulson Aviation in a variety of roles for 50 years. He said the Coulson family is sa国际传媒渢hrilledsa国际传媒� that the Hawaii Mars will stay on Vancouver Island. sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檙e excited to participate and support this whole program.sa国际传媒�

The project will cost approximately $1 million to move the Hawaii Mars and house it in Victoria, said project lead Richard Mosdell of the B.C. Aviation Museum. The museum is raising half a million dollars, the Coulson family is donating another half million and Heritage Canada is expected to contribute in the future, he said. The Victoria Airport Authority has given the museum some land where the Hawaii Mars will sit until a new hangar can be built at the museum.

sa国际传媒淭his is a perfect start and wesa国际传媒檙e able to kick-start preparations so that we can get the aircraft ready for the big blockbuster arrival weekend in the fall.sa国际传媒�

Mosdell said the museum was in talks to have both the Hawaii and Philippine Mars at the museum, but ultimately decided on one aircraft. No plans for the Philippine Mars were discussed.

Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA Josie Osborne and Penny Cote, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District director for Sproat Lake, both said the announcement is bittersweet. sa国际传媒淲e have so much pride here in the Alberni Valley that we have a global leader in aerial firefighting,sa国际传媒� Osborne said. sa国际传媒� I know itsa国际传媒檚 going to be a bittersweet day when we see her take off from Sproat Lake for the last time.sa国际传媒�

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