Martin Mars water bombers’ firefighting days appear to be over

During every wildfire season in B.C., there are calls to bring the Martin Mars water bombers into action.

Those days may be over as the company that owns and operates the two massive aircraft is trying to find new owners for the Hawaii Mars and Philippine Mars.

Originally built for the U.S. Navy in the Second World War, they were later redesigned for “long-range general transport,” including water or foam to drop on wildfires.

READ MORE: Why B.C. isn’t using the Martin Mars water bomber to fight the wildfires

While the bombers are an impressive sight as they come in for a bombing run — faster, smaller and more precise aircraft are now considered the standard for firefighting.

The B.C. Wildfire Service has said the bombers are so big that they can only scoop up water from 113 locations around B.C., while other amphibious planes can reach 1,700 bodies of water.

Owner Wayne Coulson, however, has disputed the province’s statistics on where the Mars could take water from before dropping it on a fire.

Port Alberni-based Coulson Flying Tankers says the Hawaii Mars hasn’t flown since 2016 when it was damaged at an airshow in Wisconsin.

The Philippine Mars is no longer in active service and Coulson has tried to place it in a museum.

— With files from Jesse Ferreras