On August 11th, 2024, Harbour Air’ pilot Rick Matthews and alumni pilot Peter Killin will fly historic 1945 Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber’s final flight to Victoria, where it will be preserved by the B.C. Aviation Museum thanks to a new $250,000 B.C. wildfire aviation exhibit.
VANCOUVER, BC, August 9th, 2024 – Harbour Air, North America’s largest seaplane airline, is proud to announce that two of its longtime pilots Rick Matthews and Peter Killin (Harbour Air alumni) will be flying Coulson Aviation’s historic 1945 Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber’s final flight on August 11th, 2024, as part of a preservation initiative by the B.C. government and B.C. Aviation Museum in Victoria.
The iconic water bomber’s final flight will depart August 11th from Sproat Lake in Port Alberni and fly to the Saanich Inlet, landing in Patricia Bay beside Victoria International Airport. The historic aircraft will eventually be de-watered, transported and preserved by the B.C. Aviation Museum as part of a new B.C. wildfire aviation exhibit, thanks to $250,000 in funding by the province.
Harbour Air’s Rick Matthews and alumni pilot Peter Killin started together at Harbour Air in 1984, and have been piloting aircraft on the west coast for 50+ years. Both will be flying the Hawaii Martin Mars to its final destination alongside two other pilots, with Peter Killin having logged more than 1,000 hours of flying time with the water bomber.
“As longtime pilots with a love for historic aircraft, we’re very honored to be flying the Hawaii Martin Mars on its final mission,” states Rick Matthews, Harbour Air pilot. “This is a beautiful and iconic water bomber which needs to be protected and preserved, especially considering its historic role in B.C.’s firefighting industry. We look forward to showcasing the Hawaii Martin Mars to the public one last time during its final journey.”
One of only two remaining Martin JRM-3 Mars water bombers in existence, the Martin Hawaii Mars started service in 1945 as a transport carrier for the US Navy during World War II, and later served as an air ambulance during the Korean War. In 1958 the plane was sold and converted into a water bomber by a consortium of B.C. timber companies and used to protect Vancouver Island’s timber lands. Then, in 2007 Port Alberni’s Coulson Aviation purchased the Martin Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars, using the aircraft for successful wildfire suppression operations until their retirement in 2015.
“I was first introduced to the Hawaii Martin Mars by Harbour Air’s Rick Matthews in the year 2000, with an offer to join him on a ride in this historic water bomber aircraft. I was then hired as a birddog pilot to help fight forest fires with the Mars in 2001, and subsequently by Coulson Aviation in 2007, and the rest is history,” states Peter Killin, Harbour Air alumni pilot. “I would like to thank Coulson Aviation for completing our aerial firefighting contract with the Province of B.C. in 2015, and Harbour Air for providing me the opportunity to fly with them in the past and with Rick today. It’s a true honor for us to share in the closing chapter of the Hawaii Martin Mars’ history, and we look forward to making the final flight a success.”
After the Hawaii Martin Mars’ final flight and once it has been transported to the Victoria B.C. Aviation Museum, the water bomber will be the largest aircraft on display on Vancouver Island. Once the museum’s B.C. wildfire aviation exhibit opens in the future, visitors will have the opportunity to see the Hawaii Martin Mars in person and even sit in the water bomber’s 4-story cockpit.
For further background on the Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber and the B.C. Aviation Museum’s preservation initiative, see:
- https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024TACS0006-000426
- https://www.coulsonaviationusa.com/newsmedia/hawaii-mars-to-be-donated-to-the-bc-aviation-museum
About Harbour Air
Harbour Air is North America’s largest seaplane airline. The company’s international seaplane service is a quintessential west coast experience. With a fleet of 45 aircraft, Harbour Air offers up to 300 daily scheduled flights, scenic tours, adventure packages, and private flights. With 12+ scheduled destinations connecting downtown Vancouver, Seattle (WA), Nanaimo, Tofino, Whistler, Richmond (YVR South), Victoria, Sechelt, Salt Spring Island, Maple Bay, Powell River, Patricia Bay and Comox, B.C., Harbour Air transports around 500,000 passengers every year. For more information, visit www.harbourair.com.
Photo credits: Coulson Aviation & Rick Matthews