A beloved B.C. aircraft is not only making a big splash at an airshow south of the border, but it has also been put up for sale.
The Hawaii Mars, one of the Martin Mars bombers, has been listed for $3 million.
For owner Wayne Coulson it is time to reinvent the aircraft into something else and find it a new home.
“The fire agency in British Columbia doesn’t see you know continued use for the aircraft. So we have to reinvent them something different than what they are,” said Coulson.
It is currently on display on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin, as part of the world’s biggest air show – the annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture air show.
It is proving to be so popular, people are paying $125 a ticket to go out on a dinghy and tour the aircraft.
“Everybody knows this airplane, everybody has read about this airplane,” added Coulson.
The Martin Mars bombers were built to carry troops during WWII but were later converted to fight wildfires.
The 89-year-old Hawaii Mars has a wingspan as big as a Boeing 747 jet and can carry up to 27,000 litres of water.
“It’s a big machine so it looks like it’s going slow but it can do a seven minute turnaround. It takes about 30 seconds to scoop a full load. Between drop to drop, seven minutes they can do it, very easily,” said Mike Sattler, with the Canadian Museum of Flight.
Sattler said the water bomber is so big, that only 113 bodies of water across B.C. are big enough to accommodate the Mars.
He said B.C. Wildfire Services is definitely going to miss having access to such a powerful firefighting tool.