I forwarded this thread to a good friend of mine, he sent me this:
" I love the Mars. I love the sound of her, and I love to see her fly. She is a spectacular piece of machinery, and is a huge part of BC Aviation history. She is NOT a good water bomber compared to other airplanes today - whether you compare dollar for dollar or Litre per Litre of water put on the fire. As a previous manager and Chief Pilot of the Martin Mars, i am SICK of hearing these posts crying out about why the BC Government is not compelled to hire a private company with an antique (albeit a very nostalgic one for residents of the Alberni Valley) airplane to fight fires, when the Government feels that the best solution is provided by another means. Management at Forest Industry Flying Tankers used the same tactic back in 2003 when they no longer had the support of Macmillan Bloedel and Weyerhauser. There were fires burning in Kelowna and the Mars was not invited to participate in the profitable business of putting those fires out. The media was called, and after a TV interview with the Manager of Forest Industries Flying Tankers (staged on the shore of Sproat Lake, with the Martin Mars in the background), public outcry swayed the BC Government in to hiring the Martin Mars. Per dollar spent, the Mars (and I love them) was much less effective than other machines on those fires.
Fighting fires - like disaster relief - is a business. The Martin Mars is no exception. They are not available to save the world because of one man's belief that fire is evil. They are available because one man believes that he can make a fortune operating them. I wish him success - but I am tired of hearing him and his supporters cry because their particular company has not been awarded a lucrative contract by the BC Government. There are many different tools used to fight wildfires in BC. Why should the BC Government be forced in to using a tool that they know from 50 years experience with the Martin Mars, is not as effective as other tools?
Steve Stackhouse
Martin Mars Captain 2003 - 2007. Chief Pilot 2007. Proud to be a Sproat Lake resident, and lifelong admirer of the mighty Martin Mars.
Not mentioned so far in this thread so far is that there has been a steady move away from belly skimming aircraft in western Canada. Retardant tankers are slowly becoming the primary - although not the only - weapon. In high temp/low humidity conditions, straight water is of quite limited effectiveness unless dropped from perilously low heights, and as mentioned by other posters, water sources without dangerous terrain nearby are not that common in our mountainous province. Retardant and/or ground equipment can be used to create strategically located fire breaks to contain fires or protect structures; water has a much shorter period of effectiveness in this role.
I saw the Mars bombers flying in the big Penticton fire of 1994 and they're certainly magnificent to watch and music to the ears, but there are only a few situations where their capabilities can be used to full effect. Quantity is not always a substitute for quality. Several American operators have converted passenger jets like the DC10 and even the 747 to bomber use, and although they can deliver even larger quantities to a fire, they're far from taking over the aerial firefighting industry because low altitude operation of turbojet aircraft is very fuel thirsty. The best compromise for a wide range of situations appears to be turboprop planes like the old Lockheed Electras often seen on BC and Alberta fires, more manuevrable and fuel efficient than bigger jets, double the cruise speed of the Mars, impressive airfield performance capabilities. Newer turboprop aircraft like BL's Dash 8 series have also been modified for firefighting, and once again the attraction is the balance between fuel cost, cruise speed, short field capability and payload. Mars can carry 7200 gallons but cruises at just 165 knots and can only land and fuel at a handful of sites in BC. Electra tank capacity is 3000 gallons but it drops more effective retardant and can cruise at 325 knots. Selection of suitable landing sites in BC is very numerous, retardant can be road tankered to advance bases if required. The ministry has done the math, unfortunately the Mars aircraft no longer have a role in their strategic plans.
wow over 17,000 signatures so far ...Apparently too be dropped at premier's doorstep tomorrow. So see what happens very strong support across the province. Thanks to everyone that signed it.
Possibly one of the biggest plusses of the Mars is the fact they can land on a body of water (if it's big enough).....