Oshkosh - More on Martin Mars - Curt Lewis

 

Oshkosh  Royalty - Hawaii Mars

'It's aviation royalty': World's largest water bomber plane with a 200-foot wingspan hits the market for $3million - with fans paying $125 just to see it up close!

• Hawaii Mars is the world's largest water bomber and dubbed 'aviation royalty'
• US Navy built Martin Mars model as troop and freight carriers in the 1940s
• They were later converted to seaplanes with an ability to carry 7220 gallons

It's the world's biggest water bomber - with a 200-foot wing span wider than a 747 jumbo jet and the ability to carry 7200 gallons of water.

And now it's up for sale.

CNN reports that plane buffs have been shelling out $125 each to view the plane up close on a lake in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture air show is being held.

Flight of fancy: Plane buffs have been shelling out $125 each to view the plan up close on a lake in Oshkosh, Wisconsin


Wings of speed: US Navy built Martin Mars model as troop and freight carriers in the 1940s

It will also fly several demonstrations during the event shows.

THE MARTIN MARS: THE STATS

• Only six Martin Mars plans were ever made as part of a US Navy program in the Second World War.
• They were supposed to be long-range troop and freight transport but were converted to water bombers.
• It is the largest flying boat ever operationally -
• Its height is 38 feet while it is 120 feet long and has a wing span of 200 feet (similar to a commercial 747 jumbo jet.

• The plane can carry 7200 gallons of water and travel close to the water at about 80miles/hr.

Source: Experimental Aircraft Association

According to the EAA, the plane is the last of its kind after only six of the Martin JRM Mars seaplanes were made for the US Navy during the Second World War.

They were built as long-range troop and freight transport to fly between Hawaii and the mainland United States.

But they were later converted to water bombers and given the ability to carry enough water to cover 4 acres of land in a single pass. 

'There aren't many airplanes that have never been to Oshkosh, but this is one of them, so this is both literally and figuratively a huge addition to this year's lineup,' said Rick Larsen, EAA's vice president of communities and member programs in a statement.

'Among flying boats, only the legendary Spruce Goose is bigger, but the Martin Mars is the largest ever to be operational on a regular basis.'

The most frequently asked question regarding the Mars is How do they pick up their water?. This part of the flying operation is, perhaps, the most demanding in terms of teamwork among the crew.
The Captain executes a normal landing, keeps the the aircraft 'on the step' and allows the speed to decrease to 70 knots. 

He then passes engine power to the Flight Engineer and selects the scoops to the 'down' position.
The ram pressure for injecting the water into the tanks is such that the aircraft is taking on water at a rate in excess of a ton per second. To account for this added weight, the Flight Engineer must advance the throttles to maintain a skimming speed of 60-70 knots to ensure the aircraft remains on the step.
Pickup time is, on average, 25 seconds. When the tanks are full, the Captain will have the scoops raised, call for takeoff power from the Flight Engineer and carry out a normal loaded takeoff. 

Once airborne, the foam concentrate is injected into the water load (normally, 30 US gallons of concentrate into the 7,200 US gallon water load) where it is dispersed and remains inert until the load is dropped. 

Once dropped, the tumbling action causes expansion which converts the water load into a foam load. This process is repeated for each drop. In other words, this vital team.

The plane's owner, Wayne Coulson, reportedly said he had decided to put the plane up for sale after the governments of British Columbia and Alberta did not offer his firm contracts during the latest wildfire season.

His other plane is the Philippine Mars, also out of the Martin Mars fleet, and the price tag for each plane is £3 million each.

'Hawaii Mars has reached the end of its career,' Coulson told CNN.

'It's now time to reinvent it into something different than what it is.'

'We're going to be very selective on where these airplanes go. They're aviation royalty.'