Because the story of the Mars Planes holds a special place for me, I felt that my original post wasn't entirely representing their whole story. Without changing the section about the Vancouver Island Pioneer Firefighters, I have added some back story to connect the Mars planes with their enormous past. Each of the seven Mars planes built has a complete history, making it challenging to write a condensed version of their story. Eventually, Papertown Station will present each plane's history, including a focus on its builder. For now, I wanted to bring to light their connection to the beginning of aviation. The story of the Mars planes is essential to history, not just on Vancouver Island but in world history. I hope I represented their brief story well.

Change: I did change one thing in the story. I changed the story to read Lancaster instead of Spitfire, as readers have informed me that it is more likely the plane the pioneer pilots would have been flying if they had been bomber pilots in the Air Force during the war. I hope to provide more clarity when I return to write the rest of the Mars story.

"1956::23 round-trips to the moon?" Clip: Oakland Tribune

Oakland, California

Given the source of the claim (Alameda Naval Air's paper), I decided to include it in the story.

A big shout out to the City of Langford for recently dedicating a beautiful park on Skirt Mountain to the memory of the pioneer pilots, The Flying Firemen.

So, are the Mars amphibious?

Before the Mars fleet was acquired in the 1950s, it was thought that amphibious aircraft were the answer to putting out forest fires from above (due to their ability to land on remote lakes and land if necessary). However, small amphibious aircrafts of the time couldn't always fly the full distance. In many cases, they were not built for it, not fast enough, nor could they carry enough water to make much of a difference when put up against a BC forest fire. The idea of converting the Mars planes to become amphibious, specifically, in combination with their mass and endurance, is why I believe the engineers first saw potential in the Mars and that the Mars planes could become the world's largest and most efficient amphibious aircraft used for fighting fires from above (as the story states). It was thought necessary, at the time, before the Mars planes were converted, that a mean, firefighting flying machine should be amphibious.

When the fleet arrived at Patricia Bay (see photo), it was noted that an electric winch was used to lower the wheels each plane carried as cargo in its underbelly compartments. They were then attached to the aircraft while it was still waterborne, enabling it to be hauled out of the water and maneuvered on land. If engineers felt they could convert the Mars fleet into waterbombers, they might have believed that making the Mars amphibious was within reach, as being amphibious was considered necessary to fight a BC forest fire in a remote region effectively. Given their size, it's a bit of a stretch, but that's my thought.

Numerous stories from the past, as early as the fleet's prototype, the Martin Mars, have called the Mars planes amphibious, given that it was a desirable aircraft feature (it had been that way since the Wright brothers), especially during wartime. It could be that the Mars aircraft were indeed amphibious at one time or were often thought to be amphibious simply due to the numerous photos of these massive flying boats on wheels. Or maybe, in some small way, they fit into an amphibious category due to early definitions of the word and the plane's ability to roll on land. Even today, you will find that the Mars planes are often called amphibious aircraft (perhaps mistakenly... but that's not for me to say).

Hopefully, clarity will reveal itself when I return to writing the rest of the Mars story (if that day ever comes). I remember reading about amphibious aircraft in Glen L. Martin's own words, but that was long ago when I first researched this story, and I'd have to dig that up again.

Thank you to everyone who weighs in on this subject. Your constructive input is always appreciated.

Thank you for following along!

🚂Papertown Conductor