After making a trip a couple weeks ago to Sproat Lake and seeing the number 2 engine start on the Philippine Mars, I was hoping to return to see the aircraft perform one of several taxi runs on the lake. Luckily, I was able to capture the entire launch, startup and taxi sequence this past weekend.
source.image: Tobyn Burton Aviation Videos
The Philippine Mars is the last operational Martin JRM Mars flying boat in the world, and the only one of two painted in former U.S. Navy colours. The aircraft will be flown to San Francisco, followed by a stop in San Diego before flying to a lake in Arizona, where it will land for the last time.
The Martin Mars is an icon on Vancouver Island, specifically in Port Alberni where the Philippine and Hawaii Mars were based for several decades during their aerial firefighting careers.
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This incredible aircraft is among some the largest flying boats ever made, with a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 747-200 (200 feet!) and requires four Wright R-3350 radial engines each making 2500 horsepower.
