Re: NNG- Martin Mars nears Lake Winnebago, WI for AirVenture

Apparently, when they arrived at Oshkosh, they did a touch & go in Lake Winnebago and then water-bombed the runway at Wittman Regional (KOSH). That must have been a heck of a photo op. I have been meaning to get out to Oshkosh for years. This should have been my year to go. The presence of the Mars would have made the trip worthwhile. It is a majestic aircraft to see taking off or landing on water. As a guy who flew Lake Amphibs years ago, I have always had a soft spot for boat-hulled airplanes. Howard Hughes' HK-1 may have been the ultimate flying boat, but the Mars is the closest thing left that is still airworthy. And yes, it is my understanding that Coulson Flying Tankers is seeking a buyer for the "Hawaii Mars", which is the remaining flyable example. Their other airplane ("Phillippine Mars", I believe) was semi-retired a few years back, and has been painted back into its Navy scheme. It was my understanding that it was going to be donated to the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, FL. Of course, it would need to be brought back to flying status, in order to get a ferry permit for one last flight. If the airplane ends up becoming a static display, that will be sad.....but probably better than having it be lost in an accident doing fire bombing work.

Hopefully, Hawaii Mars will be maintained in flying condition by somebody. Goodness knows that would be expensive.

For those who are rated pilots, and would actually like to take the controls of the Mars while Coulson still owns it, look here.....and get your checkbook ready!! Man, you don't know how badly I would like to do that!

/Kevin Madore



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2016 12:40PM by KevinM.