On March 30th 2024, after more than two years of negotiations and hard work by both the British Columbia Aviation Museum (BCAM) and Coulson Aviation, the BCAM announced the acquisition of the famous Martin Hawaii Mars flying boat. Operated by Coulson Aviation Group, the Hawaii Mars flew from 1961 to 2015 in North America fighting over 4,000 wildfires with its massive water-dropping ability that could end a huge blaze in a single pass.
On June 14th, Wayne Coulson during a radio interview mentioned that August 10th might be the day the day the Hawaii Mars is slated to depart the Alberni Valley for the last time. However this date might shift slightly, as Coulson explained, because the BCAM is arranging for the Snowbirds to accompany the bomber for part of its final flight.
The Hawaii Mars will return to its Sproat Lake anchorage on July 2nd and will be seen and heard conducting readiness flights around town throughout July. Coulson mentioned that the 80-year-old aircraft will fly over many communities it has served over the past 50 years as it heads to its final destination at the BCAM in Victoria, British Columbia.
“We’ve been working with Transport Canada, and they’ve been quite flexible. If we wanted to take it up to Campbell River and do a bit of a fly-around the island, I know the crew would love that. People could see it overhead and bid farewell,” he said. “We’d post the flight plan and times so people could schedule to watch it fly overhead at 500 feet. We’ll likely take it up to Campbell River, Courtenay, Nanaimo, and Duncan, flying up the coast over the communities.”
Coulson Aviation has been inundated with requests from people wanting to cruise the lake on the world’s largest flying boat for $5,000 a seat. They will also offer tours of the plane at a lower cost before it departs.
