Fabled water bomber once used to fight B.C. wildfires being sold for $5 million
CBC
One of the most famous planes in B.C.'s history, a Martin Mars water bomber used to carry and drop vast amounts of water on wildfires, is for sale for $5 million.
"The opportunity to purchase and preserve a unique part of aviation history is now available for the discerning buyer, or donor," says the listing from the California-based seller, Platinum Fighter Sales.
The signature red and white plane, beloved by many throughout the province, was brought into service in the late 1950s as a powerful solution to the province's wildfires.
The massive air tanker was built as a transport plane for the U.S. Navy in 1946, and is one of the largest fixed-wing water bombers in the world, with a capacity to carry more than 27,000 litres of water.
Historians say the U.S. Navy produced six of the planes as prototypes for large scale transport between the West Coast and Hawaii. But when aviation technology progressed, the planes were retired and put up for auction.
B.C.'s forestry industry came together to purchase and convert four of the planes into firefighting machines.
WATCH | Early footage of the Martin Mars water bombers in B.C.:
The Platinum Fighter Sales listing says the one for sale, the Hawaii Mars II, is the only airworthy example of the plane left in the world. It last flew in 2016 and is currently in Sproat Lake near Port Alberni, B.C.
As wildfire fighting tactics changed, the water bombers' services were no longer needed as regularly.
Also due to its size, the Martin Mars can only scoop up water from about 113 bodies of water in B.C., compared to the 1,700 bodies of water that smaller amphibious scoopers can access.
Firefighting tactics now focus less on dousing fires completely to containing them and keeping them away from structures — leaving them to burn as they would naturally.
The plane has a devout following however. One of the planes was displayed and flown for years at the Abbotsford Air Show, where crowds would gasp in awe as the plane dropped its load of water between runways.
The province ended its contract with the plane's owner, Coulson Aviation, in 2013.
It came out of retirement in 2015 to help fight wildfires for a month.
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