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Blogs > bikenski > The unexamined life, etc.


bikenski 80M
1505 posts
8/6/2007 10:18 am

Last Read:
3/10/2010 4:24 pm
MARS aircraft
This is photo of the MARS water bombers the Province of British Columbia uses for forest fires. They are based at Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, about half way between the east and west coasts.

There aircraft were built for the US Navy as troopcarriers towards the end of WWII. Very few were completed because the war ended, and they were no longer required.

They are huge, and treat to watch taking off from the water after they have loaded up.

I first saw them in 1989 and was agog at their size.
missioncontrol 76F

8/6/2007 1:27 pm

 Wish the picture was larger

I'm looking to the future and it's out of sight,
only in the end shall I take flight.


FreshEmerald

8/6/2007 1:55 pm

 Known colloquially as "Invaders From Mars" with a take-off payload of 27 tons, they have been a forest-fighting staple in B.C. since 1962.


FreshEmerald

8/6/2007 10:25 pm

 Actually Jeff....one of the volunteers at the flight museum used to
fly the DC-6 bomber, and did receive some pretty strange requests.

For example:
One peeved-off guy wanted a load of liquified steer manure dumped on his ex-wife's house.

The engineering department at our university (which are famous for their pranking) wanted to know how much it would cost to fill the tanker with beer, then dump it over their football stadium during a game.

Filling your swimming pool would be considered run-of-the-mill.


Rocketship 80F
18614 posts
8/7/2007 4:58 am

 Hi Bikenski,
Awesome to see I'll bet !!
Wonderful that something originally built for war can have a useful second 'career'.
Are they still building them or are they really THAT old?
Take care!


FreshEmerald

8/7/2007 10:40 am
    Quoting Rocketship:
    Hi Bikenski,
    Awesome to see I'll bet !!
    Wonderful that something originally built for war can have a useful second 'career'.
    Are they still building them or are they really THAT old?
    Take care!
To the best of my knowledge, the two in B.C. are the only ones left in the world. There were four here originally; one crashed and the other one suffered an onboard fire while moored, and burned to the water line.


bikenski 80M

8/7/2007 1:45 pm
    Quoting Rocketship:
    Hi Bikenski,
    Awesome to see I'll bet !!
    Wonderful that something originally built for war can have a useful second 'career'.
    Are they still building them or are they really THAT old?
    Take care!
They are really that old. They stopped building them in 1945 or thereabouts. I think the ones based in Port Alberni are the only ones left that are still flying.


FreshEmerald

8/8/2007 8:51 am

 Rocket, there are still many a/c in active duty that are older than their pilots. Most of them are used for cargo operations; the DC-3 and Boeing 727 are two that come to mind. Theoretically, most aircraft could fly forever - with a sound airframe and regular maintenance. However, with the rising cost of fuel, cost of maintenance etc., there comes a time when it's not economically feasible for the airlines to keep them in their fleet.




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