As we reported in our March 29, 2024 newsletter, the Hawaii Mars, one of only two remaining Martin Mars flying boats, is destined for full retirement at the British Columbia Aviation Museum later this month. Mothballed since 2015, the massive aircraft was returned to the water last month and has been seen performing trial runs and flights at Sproat Lake, near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.
“Our Mars maintenance and flight crews have been working diligently to prepare the aircraft for its final flight,” Britt Coulson, Coulson Aviation president and COO said in a press release issued in June. “Various factors continue to impact the schedule, making it difficult to establish a precise completion and delivery date. However, we are pleased to announce that we have surpassed its original expected fall arrival date.”
The Hawaii Mars will fly the roughly 70-nm distance from Sproat Lake to Mill Bay, which is adjacent to Victoria International Airport. From there it will be hauled out of the water and transported overland about 3 km to its new home on the opposite side of the airport. International moving specialists Nickel Brothers will perform the move.
“They’ve moved three aircraft for us already in the last year and they are amazing professionals,” Steve Nichol, the museum’s president, said. “This is the most complex manoeuvre you can imagine – we’re going to beach it onto a very narrow seaplane ramp at the Canadian Coast Guard there beside the Institute of Ocean Sciences.”
Nichol cited the need for the removal of power poles and lamp posts to allow the Mars clear passage to its new home on a newly constructed concrete pad on museum grounds, crediting the Victoria Airport Authority for their cooperation.
Citing its role as a water bomber serving the firefighting needs of B.C. for over 60 years, Nichol stated, “The Mars saved B.C., now it’s time for B.C. to save the Mars.”