Author Topic: Very neat video of fire fighting aircraft (Read 3773 times)

EddyR · « **on:** September 26, 2012, 04:05:16 PM »

http://player.vimeo.com/video/48642618

John Harold · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2012, 04:48:06 PM »

Very good clip, I see the radials have gone, now turbo prop. Same type of aircraft as featured in the Ice Pilots series.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2012, 05:46:46 PM »

Fantastic! I love the air tankers. Here are a couple of oil paintings I did a few years ago.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2012, 03:22:52 PM »

You can see they have a handful when they fly into the heat thermals. Really nice Amphib. Tankers!

Eric Viglione · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2012, 06:06:08 PM »

Makes me wonder what the trim change feels like to the pilot when you suddenly drop all those tons of water? The plane does seem to rise up almost instantly when he hits the drop button, heh heh.
EricV

Howard Rush · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2012, 10:44:38 PM »

Here's Chris Cox, who beat me at the last stunt contest, dropping a load from a Martin Mars.

wwwarbird · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2012, 11:26:06 PM »

Quote from: Mike Keville on September 26, 2012, 05:46:46 PM

Fantastic! I love the air tankers. Here are a couple of oil paintings I did a few years ago.

Very cool paintings Mikey!

Howard,

Do you mean that Chris pilots the Mars?

Howard Rush · « **Reply #7 on:** September 28, 2012, 10:44:33 AM »

Quote from: wwwarbird on September 27, 2012, 11:26:06 PM

Do you mean that Chris pilots the Mars?

Not routinely, although his job used to be flying water bombers. Chris works for the Royal Canadian Mounted transport ministry and had some official reason for flying the Mars on this occasion. He has not thus far gotten me a ride on the Mars, which he was instructed to do.

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #8 on:** September 28, 2012, 11:57:12 AM »

Quote from: Howard Rush on September 28, 2012, 10:44:33 AM

He has not thus far gotten me a ride on the Mars, which he was instructed to do.

That would no doubt require having a valid Passport. Maybe, just maybe, this would be enough reason for Howard to invest in one.

Steve

Chris Cox · « **Reply #9 on:** September 28, 2012, 02:01:15 PM »

A long story, but yes, I did get to fly the Mars, and yes, that was me flying in this particular picture. I had just completed conducting two proficiency checks on the company pilots and they were very gracious to let me have a go based on my previous PBY background. The load is centered very close to the Centre of Gravity, so when dropped, the aircraft does not so much pitch up, but actually balloons up. In the case of the Mars you are dropping approximately 60,000 lbs of retardant (7,200 gallons) if memory serves. The ballooning is significant, to say the least, but way fun! It does require a healthy push to avoid excessive altitude gain, taking care not to exert additional negative stress on the airfrafme.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #10 on:** September 30, 2012, 08:36:40 PM »

I didn't know there were any of those Martin Mars still around!

Mike Keville · « **Reply #11 on:** September 30, 2012, 10:03:06 PM »

Quote from: Douglas Ames link=topic=28681.m sg277682#msg277682 date=1349059000

I didn't know there were any of those Martin Mars still around!

Two of them, actually: the 'red tail' and the 'white tail' (seen in the painting above), which is C-FLYK, ex-BuAir 76820, "Philippine Mars".

As of 2007 (latest info here), owners were Coulson Forest Products, Sprout Lake, Port Alberni, BC.

Bill Little · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2012, 10:23:55 AM »

Very neat video, Ed! I watched a TV special some time back about the fire fighters. It included the MARS which was awesome.

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

Dave Hull · « **Reply #13 on:** October 01, 2012, 02:07:10 PM »

My dad went out to watch the Mars take off from Lake Elsinor here in SoCal a few years ago. He said it didn't clear the shoreline by much. Wish I had been there to see it....

But someone else was:

McSlow

Bill Little · « **Reply #14 on:** October 01, 2012, 02:49:51 PM »

One of the videos stated that the Mars was delivered to the USN in 1946. What was to be the use of these huge birds? I am in awe of those monsters!

BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM

john e. holliday · « **Reply #15 on:** October 01, 2012, 08:16:53 PM »

Air sea rescue off rough water maybe. Did see the video showing the water tanker and the fishermen. i still laugh when I see it. It is one of the choices after the Mars video.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #16 on:** October 01, 2012, 09:08:13 PM »

Actually, one function of the Martin Mars during WWII was the transport of VIPs and high-ranking officers to-and-from Pacific locations. One, the Marshall Mars was lost. There may have been others. The two survivors became the air tankers we know today. Google it.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #17 on:** October 01, 2012, 09:25:56 PM »

Just discovered, via Google, that the "white tail" Mars ("Philippine Mars") - as seen in this painting - was retired and withdrawn from service on 23 August 2012. It was to be re-finished in its original US Navy paint scheme and transported to the Naval museum at Pensacola.

Thus only the "red tail" version remains.

Bill Little · « **Reply #18 on:** October 02, 2012, 12:01:50 PM »

Quote from: Mike Keville on October 01, 2012, 09:08:13 PM

Actually, one function of the Martin Mars during WWII was the transport of VIPs and high-ranking officers to-and-from Pacific locations. One, the Marshall Mars was lost. There may have been others. The two survivors became the air tankers we know today. Google it.

Hi Uncle Mikey,

I would have googled it but I knew there were answers here and others may want to know. What threw me off was the Quote: "The Mars was delivered to the USN in 1946", which put it in service AFTER WW II................

Thanks!
Bill

Mike Keville · « **Reply #19 on:** October 02, 2012, 04:40:02 PM »

That's PARTIALLY correct, since the final one was delivered in 1947.

1st flight: 23 June 42
1st delivery to the Navy: June 1945

Original order was for 20, but was scaled back to 5 when WWII ended.

All of this is per Google. I wasn't there, having been only 5 years old when the war ended.

Author Topic: Very neat video of fire fighting aircraft (Read 3773 times)

Eric Viglione