martin mars

California requests Martin Mars aid
Waterbomber being prepared for flight to parched state this morning
Jack Keating, The Province
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2007
PORT ALBERNI - The grand dame of B.C's firebombing aircraft is to leave Vancouver Island at first light this morning to help fight the massive wild fires ravaging Southern California.

The Martin Mars waterbomber, which has been fighting forest fires in B.C. for 47 years, is to arrive in the San Diego area early this afternoon to begin fighting the fires that have destroyed more than 1,200 homes and forced more than 500,000 to be evacuated.

California authorities requested the plane and a contract was signed yesterday morning with representatives of the Coulson Group, which owns the two Port Alberni-based Mars aircraft.
previous unsuccessful missions, blasted off to the Red Planet in August 2007. "Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice" follows the mission's meticulous preparations through its spectacular pre-dawn launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The new one-hour KUAT-TV high-definition production premieres in Southern Arizona Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 9 p.m. on KUAT channel 6 and in HDTV on KUAS Channel 27-1.

The Phoenix mission is led by Principal Investigator Peter H. Smith of The University of Arizona in partnership with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, the Canadian Space Agency and other organizations from around the world. "Ashes to Ice" features interviews with Smith and other key scientists who talk about the spacecraft's instruments and the intricate preparations that preceded the launch.

Ashes to Ice producer Tom Kleespie, director of photography Martin Rubio and sound engineer Jim Blackwood were in Cape Canaveral to cover the scientists' and engineers' excitement in the days leading to liftoff and to record the launch itself.

The $420 million mission will be headquartered at the UA, which is extraordinary because it is the first time in NASA's history that a public university will lead a mission to Mars.

Touchdown is scheduled for May 25, 2008. If landing is successful, Phoenix's ultra-sensitive instruments will have about 90 days to learn about the history of water on the planet and search for organic compounds in the ice-rich soil of Mars' northern polar region. KUAT has already begun production of a second program that will trace the vehicle's journey through landing and early experiments on the Red Planet. Look for the second installment of KUAT's Phoenix Mars program to air in 2009.

Jack Gibson, KUAT's director and general manager, said, "KUAT, as a part of the UA, is uniquely positioned to document and broadcast the story of this incredible research project. We help inform and connect people throughout Southern Arizona and in this case, nationally on PBS stations across the country, to the university's important research activities through original productions like 'Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice.'"

"Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice" airs Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 9 p.m. It repeats Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 22 at noon on KUAT.

Space enthusiasts will also want to watch "NOVA: Sputnik Declassified," which airs back-to-back with "Ashes to Ice." The program reveals the astonishing behind-the-scenes story of how the Soviets beat the United States in October 1957 by launching the world's first satellite into space. "Sputnik Declassified" airs at 8 p.m. on November 6 preceding "Ashes to Ice" and follows it on Nov. 11.

"Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice" was funded by the Desert Program Partners, a fund supported by individual contributions for the support of original KUAT productions.

The KUAT Communications Group, affiliated with PBS and NPR, is an educational broadcast and production resource of the UA. The group consists of PBS stations KUAT-TV Channels 6 and 27, KUAT-DT Channels 28 and 30, classical music station KUAT-FM 90.5, NPR and jazz station KUAZ-AM 1550/FM 89.1 and the UA Channel.


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Font:****"We started raising the flag back up again and saying we're here if you need assistance," said Jim Messer, chief operating officer of the Coulson Group. "We got a request and a contract to go down there at 7 a.m. Tuesday."

Messer said the California authorities are well aware of the Mars aircraft, which helped fight Southern California wildfires in 2000.

"We're in the business of fighting fires," said Messer. "It's the world's largest amphibious aircraft and has a 7,000-gallon water capacity for firebombing, for firefighting."

More than 68,000 homes are threatened and 121,000 hectares destroyed by fire between an area north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border. "What we're hoping for, both us and Cal Fire, is that there will be some lull in the winds and that's the time to jump on top of these fires and knock them back and knock them down," said Messer. "And we'll be there ready for that."

Capt. Steve Wall and a crew of four will man the plane, which is based out of Sproat Lake in Port Alberni, while a support staff of about 10 will greet the plane with their service van and fuel truck upon its arrival.

The fires are raging out of control.

"It's zero-per-cent contained and lots of out-of-control fires, so we're a bit apprehensive as to what we're going into down there," said Messer. "But we're also very comfortable that we've got the skill set and the folks to pull off some assistance for them. So we'll just go down and be logical and take it day by day.

"They're at their worst drought on record, so if you combine that with the strength of these winds, then it's not hard to imagine these are the worst fires on record."

It's unclear how long the aircraft will be on loan to California authorities. "It's just going to depend on how the fire season goes down there," said Messer. "It would not be unusual for their winds and fire season to continue right through January." j
JRM Mars
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JRM Mars

The "Caroline Mars" JRM-2 Mars in Navy service.
Type Flying boat transport
Water bomber
Manufacturer Martin
Maiden flight 1941
Introduced 1945, U.S. Navy
Retired 1956, U.S. Navy
Status 2 survive as water bombers
Primary users United States Navy, 1945-1956
Flying Tankers, 1959-present
Produced 1945-1947
Number built 6
The Martin JRM Mars was the largest flying boat ever to enter production. The U.S. Navy contracted the development of the XPB2M-1 Mars in 1938 as a flying dreadnought for ocean patrol.

Contents
1 Navy service
2 Civilian use
3 Specifications (JRM-3 Mars)
4 References
5 External links
6 Related content



[edit] Navy service

The prototype XPB2M-1 MarsThe Martin Company effectively scaled up their successful PBM Mariner patrol bomber design to produce the prototype XPB2M-1 Mars.[1] After flight tests with the XPB2M between 1941 and 1943, she was passed on to the Navy. The original patrol bomber concept was considered obsolete by this time, and the Mars was converted into a transport aircraft designated the XPB2M-1R. The Navy was satisfied with the performance, and ordered 20 of the modified JRM-1 Mars.[1] The first, named Hawaii Mars, was delivered in June 1945, but the with the end of World War II the Navy scaled back their order to just 5 more boats.[2] Though the original Hawaii Mars was lost in an accident on Chesapeake Bay, the other 5 Mars were built with the last delivered in 1947.

Named the Marianas Mars, Philippine Mars, Marshall Mars, Caroline Mars, and a second Hawaii Mars, the 5 production Mars aircraft entered service ferrying cargo to Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. On May 5, 1950, the Marshall Mars was lost near Hawaii when an engine fire consumed the airplane after her crew had evacuated. The remaining "Big Four" flew record amounts of cargo on the San Francisco-Honolulu route efficiently until 1956, when they were parked at NAS Alameda.[1]


[edit] Civilian use

The Philippine JRM-2 Mars water bomber moored at its current base on Sproat Lake
Mars flyby over Port Alberni inlet.In 1959, the remaining Mars were sold for scrap. Dan McIvor, who represented a consortium of British Columbia lumber companies, recognized their potential value as water bombers and had them converted. A company called Flying Tankers Inc. was formed, and purchased the "Big Four" for aerial firefighting. The Marianas Mars crashed near Northwest Bay, British Columbia on June 23, 1961 during firefighting operations; all four crewmembers were lost. Just over a year later, on October 12, 1962, the Caroline Mars was destroyed by Typhoon Freda while parked onshore. The remaining Hawaii Mars and Philippine Mars had their conversions to water bombers accelerated and entered service in 1963.[1]

The two surviving tankers are now operated by the Coulson Group, based at Sproat Lake near Port Alberni, British Columbia. When converted, the original powerplants were replaced with four Wright R-3350-24WA Cyclone engines of 2500 hp (1860 kW) each. The aircraft can carry up to 7,200 US gal (27,250 litres) of water, enough to cover an area of 4 acres (16,000 m2).[3] They are used to fight fires along the coast of British Columbia, and even sometimes in the interior. They also make appearances at local airshows, demonstrating their water-dropping ability. Flying Tankers Inc. also flies the water bombers to other hotspots around the world if a need develops, such as in August of 2003 when a large forest fire threatened the city of Kelowna, British Columbia. On November 10, 2006, TimberWest Forest Ltd. announced that they are looking for buyers of the Mars. A condition of this sale is that the purchasers will donate one back to Port Alberni when they are retired as a historical attraction.[4] The Maryland Aviation Museum and British Columbia Aviation Council have initiated a joint effort to preserve the aircraft, one in Maryland and the other at their current location in Canada. [5] On April 13, 2007, TimberWest has announced the sale of both Martin Mars aircraft to Coulson Forest Products, a local forestry company in Port Alberni. The Mars will remain in the Alberni Valley operating from their base at Sproat Lake. During the California wildfires of October 2007, both aircraft were deployed to aid in firefighting efforts.