Boats are pretty cool, as are planes. But do you know what trumps both of them? A flying boat, especially if it’s the world’s largest operational flying boat. However, today I have some sad news about the world’s largest operational flying boat, as the Hawaii Mars has just taken its final flight to a transport museum in Canada.
The massive Hawaii Mars is one of two remaining Martin JRM Mars aircraft. The plane, alongside sister craft Philippine Mars, was designed during the Second World War for the U.S. Navy and is second only to the mammoth Spruce Goose, which was the largest seaplane and largest wooden aircraft in history.
Since 2007, the flying boats have worked as aerial firefighting craft at the hands of firefighting company Coulson Aviation, which is based in Canada. However, the two planes were taken out of service in 2015 and have since undergone an extensive restoration process. Now, after months of sea trials and preparation, Hawaii Mars has flown one last time.
The plane took off from its old base on Vancouver Island, flying to Patricia Bay in British Columbia last month, reports local news outlet the Vancouver Sun. Once it landed in the bay, the enormous plane was hauled out of the water and transferred onto a special trailer that transported it to its final resting place. As the Vancouver Sun explains:
Nickel Brothers crews spent Tuesday and Wednesday lifting and securing Hawaii Martin Mars for the 3.2-kilometre trip from Patricia Bay to the B.C. Aviation Museum at the east end of Victoria International Airport.
Steve Nichol, president of the museum, said the unit traveled at 1 km/h and made stops for adjustments. Steel plating had to be laid to ensure a smooth ride over bumps and changes in landscape.
He said it took about an hour to get to the fence line of the coast guard facility, a distance of about 500 meters, before crossing West Saanich Road.
The seaplane is now being prepared for display at the B.C. Aviation Museum, a process that has seen hundreds of volunteers work to drain the plane of water and thoroughly clean it down to remove any traces of salt water.
Now, the flying boat is stationed on the museum’s Airpark Walk alongside a fleet of other historic aircraft. The next mission for Coulson Aviation and its historic planes will be to fly sister plane the Philippine Mars to Arizona where it will be displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.