The last flight of the only large Martin JRM Mars seaplane that could still fly

@DefAviation ES 8·14·2024 · 6:07 0

There is news that means the end of an era. In this case, the era of the great seaplanes, which caused amazement in the 20th century.

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One of the great flying boats that deserves a prominent place in history is the Martin JRM Mars. This model, built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, made its first flight in 1942. It was a very large aircraft for its time: its fuselage was 35.74 metres long and its wings measured 60.96 metres from tip to tip. In fact, it was the largest flying boat until 1947, when it was surpassed by Howard Hughes’ short-lived Spruce Goose.

The Mars was intended to perform long-range reconnaissance, transport and bombing missions for the US Navy. However, the time it took to develop and the setbacks it suffered eventually doomed it. The second aircraft, the Hawaii Mars, made its first flight on 21 July 1945 and sank a few days later, on 5 August, in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. By the time the third aircraft, the Philippine Mars, was delivered to the US Navy on 26 June 1946, World War II was already over.

Ultimately, the contract for 20 aircraft for the US Navy was cancelled and only 6 were delivered, out of a total of 7 units built (if we include the prototype, which was scrapped in 1945). The last of these was delivered in 1948 and all 5 Navy aircraft were operational on a route between California and Hawaii until 1956. The Martin Mars were sold to companies that operated firefighting aircraft and they were used to put out forest fires in the United States and Canada.

Currently, only two Martin Mars remain: the Philippine Mars (which was the third Mars built and will soon be displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona) and the Hawaii Mars II, delivered in 1946 and which was the sixth and penultimate Mars of the seven that were built.

The Hawaii Mars II is the last airworthy Mars. It has been serving as a firefighting aircraft for Canadian companies for many years. Its current operator was Coulson Aviation of British Columbia. A few months ago, this aircraft was donated by this company to the British Columbia Aviation Museum. Last Sunday, August 11, the Hawaii Mars II made its last flight, which included a final landing on Sproat Lake in British Columbia. On this farewell flight it was accompanied by the Canadair CL-41 Tutor of the Snowbirds aerobatic squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

This was a historic flight, as the Hawaii Mars II was currently the largest active seaplane in the world. After so many years fighting fires, it has earned a well-deserved rest. You can watch a video from Coulson Aviation here that shows some images of the military and civilian life of this aircraft:

On Tuesday, Airshow Stuff Videos posted a video showing the final flight of the Hawaii Mars II:

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Photos: Coulson Aviation / U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation.