FINAL FLIGHT: The Martin Mars "Hawaii Mars" Last Ever Landing on Victoria Aerodrome (CAP5)

What an amazing last flight for the iconic "Hawaii Mars"! Myself and a group of friends decided to rent a boat to catch the final landing and what an amazing turn out it was! The bay and shoreline was full of excited spectators.
The Martin JRM Mars is a 4 engined cargo transport flying boat built in the 1940's. With only 7 of these aircraft ever built, they are quite the rare sight!
This aircraft (Hawaii Mars) and another (Philippine Mars) were converted into firefighting bombers and based in Sproat Lake, in 2016 when they were retired. Earlier this year it was announced the Hawaii Mars will be flown for the last time to its final resting place in Victoria.
The Hawaii Mars, a 1945 Martin JRM Mars, made its final landing at Patricia Bay, next to Victoria Airport, marking a historic moment in aviation history. Donated to the British Columbia Aviation Museum, the iconic aircraft was escorted by the Grumman Goose and Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds on a scenic farewell tour along Vancouver Island's coastline.
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ATC Included!
Airport: Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome - CAP5
Airline: Coulson Aviation
Aircraft: Martin JRM 3 Mars
Registration: C-FLYL 🇨🇦
Date: August 11 2024
Origin: Sproat Lake - CAA9
Also:
Airline: Diesel Acquisitions
Aircraft: Grumman G-21A Goose
Registration: N39FG 🇺🇸
Year built: 1939
Route: Nanaimo (ZNA) - Victoria (YYH)
This is not your video, please do not use, download or re-publish without my permission or consent.
© CYUL Plane Spotter / © Mark Brandon
All rights reserved Mark Brandon 2024

[@Hughes500]

Always so sad to see an aircraft have its final flight. Undrerstandable considering what it must cost to keep it airworthy but sad just the same. Thanks so much for posting this, well done.

[@Moluccan56]

Thanks, Mark! I can’t get enough of watching the Hawaii Mars and her matching fleet of Snowbirds.

[@johnandrews3568]

PRetty cool that the Coulson and Snowbird paint schemes are similar!

[@christiannovak3204]

What a beauty this plane is. Most spectacular with its size and weight. True engineering.

[@SPak-rt2gb]

A Water Salute would have been nice but the Snowbirds were a nice touch

[@iam57yearsold]

Awesome, saw it at sproat lake in the last century. In Kermit weekes’s oshkosh cockpit videos, the intense concentration of the air crew is incredible.

[@coronadojet]

Hi Mark! You did it really nice! Both overflights and the very final landing! It‘s a little bit these days like the very last amphibious flying dinosaur, which was awake just to do it‘s way to his own funeral march. It‘s such an amazing grateful moment and you‘ve saved the Martin Mars very last breath. I wish I were together with you on the boat ❤

[@dlo111]

Watched from Esquimalt, thank you so much for posting this. Amazing video. ❤

[@michaelmcmurtrey8543]

What an awesome sight!

[@briansilcox5720]

Pretty tall order holding that long lens steady in a boat in light chop. Nice work!

[@maebnus46]

Magnificent plane, will be placed and cared for where people can see what was built and flown years ago. Bruce W

[@coldlakealta4043]

it was a nice touch having the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds demonstration team escort her in. Very appropriate.

[@canfly737]

Nicely done mate, thank's 😊

[@hg34aviation18]

Nice, thank you!

[@SimonButler]

I'm glad your boating adventure worked out, and it was great meeting you at Victoria harbor!

[@leftcoastcorrie]

Nice work Mark! Amazing footage. It was a pleasure to meet you and to seaplane spot in Victoria Harbour. I hope to catch up with you again sometime. Stay well.

[@MarkBrandonAviation]

I will absolutely visit Victoria again. It’s a lovely city which I’d like to explore! It was great to meet you too!

[@aselwyn1]

amazing they were able to get the Snowbirds to do the flyby with Hawaii Mars

[@corilemky4247]

Sorry to see such a perfect aircraft parked it's a rock and a hard place for me because it be more then awful to see her damaged beyond repair congratulations coulson on such a fantastic job of maintaining her. It must tug at your heart to see her gone . It's been a comfort to us all knowing she was there waiting jump into action again my father fault fire beneath her wings in one of the most extreme lightening summers in history the summer of 1963. And people think our weather is extreme now. Ha ha spent more time hiding under the covers from the thunder then we did sleeping

[@infidel6728]

The arrival of the Philippine Mars will be much less dramatic in Tucson, I suspect it will look quite like the "Spruce Goose" as it was being barged to Oregon.

[@pythons206]

I'm pretty sure philippin mars it going to flown most of the way, land of on a lake somewhat near by then be willing be towed to the museum, not sure if it would be disassembled and towed or not

[@briansilcox5720]

I covered the movement of the Hughes HK-1 from the barge on the Willamette to the Evergreen Museum. It was still pretty dramatic, just not so majestic.

Mama and her puppies

[@KYLOWW]

Dont see too many of these big birds around anymore

[@dlo111]

She's retiring because she's too big. She can drop enough water to cover 4 acres at a time, but is too large to scoop from the small lakes.

[@woolyhighlander7280]

Should be "kept in service" these things just simply "put the fires out" instead of pretending to, like these days. SAD !

[@mfreel1657]

Seems like a waste to mothball it.

[@Germany._.Kit77]

One wildfire created in one month more CO2 pollution then the vehicle industry in one year in whole Canada 😢😢get wrid of the unqualified government 😢😢😢

[@randomthoughts9463]

Tudors. Ya, Trudeau

[@jimgilfillan9071]

Its sad to see this magnificent flying tanker be retired, but its about 79 years old. Future generations will have to depend on videos to see it in flight & will never have the privilege of being eyewitness to this majestic bird in flight. Its four Merlin Rolls Royce engines generate 10,000 hp & the throb of the engines vibrate your chest as the piston engines generate their power. Martin Mars in flight truly is a magnificent awe inspiring sight to behold. Coulson donated the Martin "Hawaii" Mars to the Aviation Museum in Sidney, B.C. I am glad that it is staying in British Columbia. I'm from Port Alberni & have become used to seeing the Martin Mars water bomber stationed on Sproat Lake ever since I was a kid. It will be sorely missed.

[@rogerexwood6608]

Merlins ? Wright Cyclones, I think

[@maebnus46]

@@rogerexwood6608 Wright Cyclones 3350's ,

[@TheWolfsnack]

A sad reminder that we used to dream big and build big...rather than worry about if there are enough tampons in the men's washroom....

[@SpaceXfan2005]

I'm a man and I have used them before