The Giants - flying boats

flying boats have always been known for their great size up until World War two they were seen as the only way to produce large aircraft post-war aviation however found little room for these leviathans the future lay in faster more efficient land planes nevertheless a few designers refuse to give way to progress just when the aviation world had forsaken the large flying boat three of the biggest ones ever built would make their debut two would fade into oblivion one is still flying today a champion of flying boats it is both living relic and local hero when man first sought to cross oceans by air rather than water the logic of aircraft designers was simple enough build ships that can fly with 75% of the world's surface as a ready-made runway a giant flying boat was not only logical but practical and it would dominate aviation for the next five decades of powered flight today flying boats are all but extinct the smaller floatplane is but a distant reflection this is Vancouver Island British Columbia off Canada's Pacific coast near the center on one of its largest lakes two dinosaurs are alive and well these are the largest operational flying boats in existence at 200 feet their wingspan stretches wider than that of a 747 jumbo jet built over 50 years ago for the United States Navy the Martin Mars was originally conceived as a long-range patrol bomber today it's enormous hull carries a bomb load not of armaments but water 30 tons and the enemy forest fires deemed obsolete by the Navy in 1956 the Mars escaped the scrapheap thanks to a group of Canadian logging companies now with over 30 years of successful firefighting the Mars water bomber is a living relic from an age when bigger was still considered better in designing flying boats the first JRM mars made its debut in July of 1945 at its christening the theme was sighs the Martin company had planned quite a show for the US Navy and national press Master of Ceremonies Glenn L Martin proudly prepared to launch the Navy's largest flying boat ever soon to be one of its most successful the ceremony seemed more befitting the christening of an ocean liner or battleship but after all the Mars was a ship with wings and Martin saw it as the next step toward giant flying boat transports of the future aviation pioneer an avid proponent of flying boats Martin had introduced the famous China clipper here ten years earlier now he enjoyed introducing the first of twenty J RMS ordered by the Navy whose confidence was based on the wartime success of the prototype seen here joining the ceremony the prototype Mars XD b2m had been ordered by the Navy as early as 1938 it took three years to complete before it was finally launched at Middle River Maryland once delivered to the Navy it would be the largest patrolled bomber in World War two with the greatest range over forty-nine hundred miles it's giant 200-foot wing held for right cyclone engines each generating 2,200 horsepower for the next month engine and system tests were conducted until the XP b2m was ready for flight tests but while still restricted to taxi tests the Mars program suffered an unfortunate setback on December 5th 1941 during engine tests the number-3 propeller refused to go into reverse the engine soon caught fire and threw a propeller blade into the fuselage nearly injuring the flight engineer the anger was removed and the aircraft was run around in an effort to save it before the fire could be extinguished the number three engine burned completely out of its mounts and fell to the ground the fire was eventually put out but the wing and engine nacelles suffered considerable damage and the errant propeller had left a huge gash in the fuselage but the crew had not lost the aircraft walking the wing from tip to tip the engineers worked to UM beat the Leviathan from the river shore in less than 30 days repairs would be completed and the Mars would be back for final testing fitted with the new number three engine the XP b2m was ready for its first flight test on June 23rd 1942 when flight tests were completed the decision was made to convert the XP b2m bomber into a transport aircraft the bow and gun turret were subsequently removed decking was reinforced hatches added and cargo loading equipment was installed for the next 18 months the XP b2m remained at Martin for final conversion and testing the Navy finally received its giant transport at Patuxent River Maryland on November 27th 1943 on temporary assignment there with the Naval Air Transport service the old lady as she was affectionately dubbed would make a record-breaking flight between Pax River and natal Brazil a distance of four thousand three hundred seventy-five miles with a payload of 13,000 pounds just the start of many record-breaking flights for the Mars aircraft by January of 1944 priority cargo was needed more than ever to supply the Allied island-hopping campaign in the Pacific as the Japanese were placed on the defensive the old lady was used extensively between Alameda California and Hawaii the longest overwater air route in the world from there other naval air transport aircraft continued the journey flying supplies into forward areas with a great push against Japan because of its huge weight carrying capability the old lady became an indispensable addition to the war in the Pacific during the bloody fight for Iwo Jima she carried tons of precious plasma across the Pacific before retirement in March 1945 she would carry over three million pounds of personnel and supplies completing seventy eight round trips between San Francisco Bay and Honolulu so satisfied was the Navy that twenty improved versions were ordered in January 1945 Glenelg Martin himself could not have been more pleased Barr's flying-boat Wingspread 200 feet hyped almost 45 feet largest yet in operation at baltimore the first of a fleet of 20 the Hawaii Mars is ready for flight 19 others named after Pacific Islands will join her in the naval air transport service down to the water for a takeoff the Mars is more than 120 feet long and weigh 72 and a half tons Martin got the publicity he wanted and made sure the Navy got what it wanted designated the JRM won the Hawaii Mars was built as a cargo transport from the start unlike the prototype greater cargo space larger hatches and a huge cargo hoist mounted underneath the wing were incorporated a single vertical stabilizer and rudder that replaced the old ladies twin tail fins however was the most noticeable difference stronger engines and increased fuel storage promise greater range and lifting capacity but less than two weeks after the Hawaii Mars was christened its career was snuffed out over the Chesapeake Bay the giant aircraft was lost on August 5th 1945 during an attempted landing when the sunken wreck was recovered the cause was evident the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer had failed the crew salvaged the twisted body but damage was such that plans to rebuild the Hawaii Mars were abandoned instead it was disposed of for scrap undaunted Martin continued production World War two ended the following month and post-war cutbacks scaled the original order of twenty J RMS down to five for the next 11 years the mighty Mars would continue to fly the Pacific Airways breaking its own weight carrying records and serving the Navy with great distinction Glenelg Martin had found a happy customer in the US Navy but he had no intention of stopping there he had hoped the Mars would be a forerunner to a fleet of giant commercial flying boats the Martin company produced this promotional film illustrating what the Mars could offer as a passenger airliner parking to the glory days of the PanAm Clippers each sketch featured images of plush accommodations sitting areas a saloon washrooms and a lounge for Martin the age of the commercial flying boat was just beginning but in the post-war era it was the beginning of the end airline companies were now turning to large for engine land planes even Pan American Airways champion of the Clipper flying boats had given up on water based aircraft the future lay in fixed air strips and large airports huge airfields that were built during the war now made travelling more convenient and cities without suitable water facilities could now be linked to overseas air travel passengers still enjoyed the pleasantries introduced by the great Clippers but the days of touching down on the water runway were fading fast meanwhile across the Atlantic a British aircraft company apparently had refused to step to the march of progress a saunders-roe company in 1946 acted upon an order to build the largest commercial flying boat ever intended for airline use the SR 45 princess the British Air Ministry had suggested that the British overseas Airways corporation or BOAC would want the 10 engine monster for its transatlantic routes the nationalized company BOAC however did not share the government's enthusiasm nevertheless saunders-roe started on three prototypes at their plant in Cowes Isle of Wight despite VOA C's lack of commitment to the air ministry the next six years of dvelopment construction and testing would be plagued by delays miscalculation and in no small measure wishful thinking with the arrival of the jet age and the advances being made in small high speed aircraft construction of the princess could appear only as a leap into the past despite appearances however the princess would incorporate some advanced concepts it's to deck hall called the double bubble section would include hull pressurization and air-conditioning systems in which saunders-roe broke a great deal of new ground another advanced addition to this giant was the gas turbine engine whose development at the time was still in its infancy but the higher power weight ratio compared to the traditional piston driven engine and encouraged saunders-roe to persevere in this mammoth undertaking the Bristol Proteus two propeller turbine was finally selected for contra-rotating pairs and two single outboard engines for a total of 10 units were installed unfortunately this underdeveloped engine would become the major source of delay and problems in final testing by August of 1952 the first prototype was finally completed some three years after the originally projected flight date the princess was enormous its hull measured 148 feet long height 55 feet wingspan 219 and 1/2 feet nearly 20 feet wider and 10 feet taller than the Mars launching was scheduled at cows for August 19th but due to a strong northeast wind it was postponed two days later just after midnight the princess was finally lowered into the water its dependence on suitable sea conditions only underscored one of the drawbacks of flying boats on August 22nd the princess was ready to take to the air the flight crew of eleven boarded the plane and conducted taxiing tests before making their takeoff despite the numerous delays the princess was considered a technical success at the time it was the heaviest all-metal passenger transport ever built as well as the largest aircraft powered by gas turbines the greatest technical breakthrough lay in the power control system muscle-power had been considered unrealistic and therefore the rudder elevators and ailerons were power assisted with hydraulic boosts the captain reported excellent air and water handling characteristics but the Bristol Proteus two engines were grossly underpowered advertised at 3,500 horsepower they actually delivered only 2,500 the Proteus 3 to be installed in the definitive model had not been ready in 1952 final installation would have promised further delay but the princess and the flying boat in general were already operating on borrowed time on September 2nd the princess made its public debut at the Farnborough air show there was no doubt that the giant flying boat impressed the crowd those impressions however were almost dreadfully altered the pilot had taken the princess to such a high speed that the experience tremendous difficulty rolling back to level flight an accident was just barely averted despite its successful flights the princess's future was uncertain at best plans for a 105 seat capacity with luxurious accommodations were never implemented and BOAC continued to hedge on its intentions for the enormous craft as early as February in 1951 it had been unofficially announced that the third prototype would be scrapped to save money and in March it was suggested that the princess be used by the Royal Air Force for troop transport again indicating BOA seize alive of interest this plan too was met with lukewarm support the princess made its final public appearance in September 1953 in a new finish of blue yellow and white livery the entire princess program ceased in June the following year with no orders for the giant flying boat the Air Ministry decided to cocoon all three princess models coats of preservative polyvinyl plastic were applied to prevent deterioration as a flying boat the princess had performed extremely well both arrow and hydrodynamically but as a viable alternative to its more efficient and speedy land-based contemporaries it was doomed from the start the princess would never lead a new generation of flying boats but instead suffer the indignity of mummification until 1965 all three princess models remained in a dormant state but that year workmen began dismantling the second and third prototypes for intended use by NASA in the United States as a transport vehicle for the Saturn five this was the famous rocket booster that would launch the first man satellite to orbit the moon typical of the princesses experience however this order came to nothing with the second and third models scrapped the only princess ever to fly was coaxed into the water and towed to a records yard in Southampton in April 1967 this was the last flying boat ever built for airline use a victim of its time as she was a grudgingly nudged to her thankless end the procession represented a symbolic requiem for the flying boat the huge fuselage for the world's largest aircraft leaves its hangar in California to begin the 24 mile overland journey to the shores of the Pacific Ocean one wing alone measures 165 feet and the huge sea plane when completed will be powered by eight 3,000 horsepower engine enroute to a special graving dock linesman cut wires and chip poles to provide clearance for the huge plane the mammoth hull will rest in this graving dock while the plane is assembled as yet unnamed the craft was designed as a cargo carrier but it could be easily adapted to transport 700 passengers this the latest and largest transport plane opens New Horizons in man's conquest of the sky the h4 Hercules more commonly known as the Spruce Goose it was a giant among Giants the largest aircraft ever built it's short but fascinating story is matched only by its eccentric designer Howard Hughes oil millionaire movie producer and breaker of aviation records in the 1930s and 40s it was Hugh's unyielding determination and aeronautical expertise that carried the project through to completion despite the many obstacles along the way originally three of these leviathans were ordered by the US government in 1942 as an answer to the German u-boat threat against Allied shipping during World War two as conceived these flying boats would airlift enormous quantities of men and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean non-stop thus avoiding any contact with submarines in addition the entire aircraft was to be built with materials considered non essential to the war effort the hull wings and tail assembly everything but the engines engine mounts and hardware were constructed of laminated wood mostly birch not spruce but by 1944 the first aircraft had not yet been completed although much of the original 18 million dollars allocated had been spent discouraged the war production board decided to terminate the project many in the government considered he was a reckless Playboy and questioned his integrity regarding the entire project luckily President Roosevelt suggested that at least one of the aircraft should be completed and a new agreement was reached Hugh's forged ahead though he was close to a nervous breakdown by November 1947 after four years of engineering problems material shortages and lack of skilled labor Hughes was ready to take the monster flying boat on its first taxi tests Hugh's critics had been relentless in July Senate subcommittee hearings had been held to determine if he had improperly influenced government officials in gaining more contracts Hughes vehemently defended the project before members of Congress rebuking those that claimed he had built an airplane that could never fly on November 2nd after inviting the national press and members of the Senate investigative committee Hughes took the controls of the h4 and began the scheduled demonstration of its water handling capabilities it was an impressive sight the wingspan measured 320 feet that's longer than a football field and twice the distance that the Wright brothers had flown their first airplane the tail was nearly ten stories high the crowd were surely impressed but in moments the unexpected was at hand as the h4 reached 90 miles per hour it lifted into the air surprised they were the plane couldn't fly but this would be its only flight just one mile Hughes felt vindicated nonetheless whether or not he had planned the flight is still a mystery as is why the aircraft was never flown again but Hugh is flying boat rests in drydock to this day and still remains as much a curiosity as its enigmatic creator unlike the saunders-roe princess or the age for martin mars was a success in the truest sense of the word in its 15 years with the US Navy including the old lady's wartime service the Mars logged more than 87,000 accident-free flight hours flying over two hundred thousand passengers a total of almost 12 million miles from troop transport to cargo supply and even as Air Ambulance one of its most unusual rescue missions was operation hayride the marshall mars was called in to drop several tons of hay and several containers of worms to replenish the food stores of a ship transporting six elephants and a large variety of tropical birds thanks to the marshall mars huge storage capacity the hungry animals arrived safely to their destination unfortunately the marshall mars would be lost to fire during flight tests in 1950 but the remaining four giants the philippine Kumari Ana's caroline and a second hawaii mars kept the navy proud until 1956 when they were decommissioned apparently the Navy had no more use for them but someone else would after a string of devastating fire seasons in the late 1950s a group of Canadian timber companies formed an organization that would forever changed the odds in fighting forest fires forest industries flying tankers FIF T owes over 30 years of successful firefighting to a 50 year old giant on sproat lake in Vancouver Island British Columbia the last two remaining Mars aircraft are still operating as the most effective water bombers ever used for one simple reason sighs after FIF t purchased the remaining four Mars in 1959 each was modified to hold a six thousand gallon plywood water tank with the release doors in either the bottom or sides of the hull Ian Thomas explains this is lyk the side dropper Philippine Mars this is our water tank that we carry the water in it comes in the back and through the probes comes through the door system and loads up in from the set of flapper doors the tank is broken into four sections that we can either drop the front section or the rear section but usually when we're dropping on a fire we drop all four sections at once just so that we have an Avenue out that all our weight is gone in their second life as water bombers the Mars have once again led a career of outstanding performance up to 40 fires have been snuffed out each year within 10 minutes the Mars can be in the air and make a six thousand gallon drop every 15 minutes that's 30 tons of water per drop the fire missions however are often few and far between some would say the greatest challenge to operating these old workhorses is the maintenance every morning the flight crews are on a thorough check on each aircraft so that they're ready to go when the fire bell sounds no new parts are being built for a fifty-year-old aircraft when the four Mars were first purchased fortunately they came with 35 additional engines and nearly 90 tons of spare parts but 30-plus years of operation makes no supply seem unlimited after two of the four Mars were lost in the early 60s a Caroline in a hurricane in the Marianas during a fire mission the remaining two became even more precious especially to the crew who takes care of them Ian Thomas well I was originally born and raised here in Port Alberni and these aircraft were on the make as I grew up and seeing them I kind of always wanted to sort of get around aircraft and and it is a hobby for an enthusiast the Martin Mars is a unique aircraft and this job is certainly one of a kind it changes everyday that everyday you're not doing the same thing that we're not fighting a fire we're doing maintenance of one sort of the other yeah it's routine and yet the place and the airplanes are part of you it's a great crew everybody gets along everybody looks after one another you care about one another you're not just a number in a miller in a factory that everybody's got a personality and everybody knows everybody and it's nice much of that close camaraderie comes from highly efficient teamwork as flight engineer Ian Thomas knows that a successful and safe mission depends on his flawless interaction with the pilot pilot has the eyes I am sitting 30 feet back I can't really see what's going on I rely on him but then he relies on me to maintain the aircraft and operate the engines when he needs the power to get out of a jam or to function in his his movement off the aircraft he relies on me to maintain and achieve that powers settings that he's desiring to become a pilot is no small task applicants must have no less than 7,000 hours of flying time specifically in water-based aircraft on the British Columbia coast chief pilot Jack Waddington remembers the first time flying the giant Mars the first time that I recall flying the aircraft I know it I was in great awe of it somewhat intimidated it's a very slow to respond both power lines and on the controls you know you first time you take control of the aircraft you kind of say to yourself my lord would oh I got a hold of here but it comes around after a while it's very much I would have to say the ultimate fine mode it's the largest operational flying boat there is and there's nothing can compare with it pilot reg young I enjoyed playing the aircraft right from the start I really enjoyed it I mean I couldn't seem to get enough of it on my first flight I took the controls and did a complete takeoff and landing and it was super like every pilot you see a new aircraft you want to fly when I saw the Mars I was hooked I mean I had to play well I think that's kind of things that really make this aircraft ideally suited to water bombing number one being a fine boat we have water everywhere here we're never any more than ten minutes away from water whether it be fresh water and salt water it doesn't matter the other thing that makes this aircraft ideally suited is it's a simple aircraft what we refer to in the aviation community as the KISS principle keep it simple stupid it applies to a lot of different things but I think that the aircraft firefighting and water bombing that you definitely do want a simple aircraft not an aircraft that's really complicated the more complicated they are the more things are to go wrong with it well it's kind of a neat airplane to fly the whole aircraft is flown through intercom the pilots in command passes the commands out to the flight crew and the main commands are between the pilot and the flight engineer sitting on the flight panel 30 feet behind you that pilot applies the power for takeoff and as soon as you get directional control with a little bit of speed pass the power back to the flight engineer and he adjusts the filer for you and then on you call commands for whatever power settings you want whether you're in that climb or a cruise attitude he manages your fuel system there's all your electrical system all your fire warning system important guy back there his job is to inform the pilot if anything goes wrong and the pilot will make decision on how to handle them on fire missions teamwork not only applies to the flight crew but to the aircraft as well crucial to operations is the bird dog a Grumman goose amphibian it serves as a spotter for the ground-based fire boss who directs the entire air and land firefighting operation the bird dog not only provides reconnaissance but also leads the bomber in for the drop it takes a crew of four to operate the Mars on fire missions pilot copilot flight engineer and flight mechanic this is going to be a practice drop the apparent air of relaxation belies the surge of adrenaline triggered by a true fire call well here on down base when the bell goes off when you have a fire call you're usually sitting back and relaxed not really thinking of having to go to a fire it's like any city fire all the crews sitting around waiting for the column but when the call-out goes against the oil adrenaline flowing you jump up and you're gone you're down the boat onto that aircraft and the sooner you get to the fire the better job you're going to do FIF t's for pilots are the only four men in the world certified to fly these aircraft they've been called the world's most exclusive club of airline pilots but to Jack Waddington flying the Mars is just another job well it's all very second nature to us now it's I consider it I've been trained to do the job and it's it's just like anyone that's been trained to do a job you're trained to do it and it comes become second nature to you after and after a while it's just like getting in the car and driving not exactly in the car that you get into every morning but as the pilots would argue after extensive training and operational flying getting in the Mars does become second nature this is important because the forest fire is an extremely unpredictable enemy the Mars was not designed to maneuver through rugged terrain at treetop levels while attacking a deceptive enemy this became horribly evident in 1961 when the pilot of the Mari honest Mars attacked a fire uphill upon a steep turn away from the mountain the port wing clipped the trees and the aircraft cartwheeled into the mountainside killing the entire crew since then FIF team management has insisted that pilots are as familiar with the terrain as they are with water-based aircraft that is the first requirement the second is teamwork once the flight crew takes the Mars into the air procedure is everything every step of operation is planned out there are no last-minute changes or actions based on whim too much is at risk for the aircraft and especially for the crew 30 odd years of perfecting that procedure has saved millions of dollars worth of timber but in penetrating the remote areas of the island following procedure demands a great degree of skill well the forest industry has changed now all the lowlands are logged off the logging has moved into the mountainous country so naturally the fires are in that area created by operations and we're going more into the mountainous terrain valleys block canyons and it calls for a lot more skill and types of flying to get in there to get at the target which is a fire this is an old fire site that got out of control before the Mars was finally called in well the old technique was they used to wait till the fire got completely out of control they tried to fight it with small helicopters then they would call us in there and I mean the thing was burning everywhere open flame 2030 feet for the air we'd come in there in an hour it was out now when we get some type of fire in any logging operations they call us out we're in there and we put it out I mean our whole drop pattern 2 to 3 acres covers the fire and we have it out in an hour so the idea is initial attack get on the fire as soon as possible and get it home filling the 6,000 gallon water tank takes about 40 seconds at 80 miles per hour the Mar skims the lakes surface forcing the water into two probes looking like enormous ice cream scoops that extend aft of the step it's not as difficult as it sounds scooping the load is really no big heavy problem you fly it the same as any other aircraft you always pick up into wind but once you get the aircraft airborne then you're just a heavy slow flying aircraft that slow to maneuver you need lots of room to get your speed up to climb out it's 10 times slower than when you're empty I mean I've had it so that I'm sitting there with my left wing down cranked full aileron over to bring it up I mean cranked right over nothing happens for seconds and seconds you can eat up a mile of airspace before the thing finally starts to move and then when it does move it just comes up slow and it's heavy there's no boost on the Illinois you have to have a plan to fly the airplane on operations if you just don't come around the corner and everything happens unexpected your bird dogs here before you tells you what to expect so you're all set up except for the pilot to maneuver the aircraft on final to the proper drop height and let the load go just by eyeballing what's happening outside relative to your speed thirty tons of water laced with foam concentrate to ensure deep saturation comes crashing down like a thunder shower but rarely is one pass enough a bad fire can require a crew to make 25 drops per sortie two sorties a day and there's no room for error you're fighting the air currents the weight of the aircraft smoke and mountainous areas that's the hazards of this type of flying but the fires get put out in over 30 years the Mars have not yet let a fire get away from them without them it would take ground firefighting crews a week to snuff out a remote fire if they could even get to it there are hazards yes but compensation could be found in the beautiful surroundings this group calls its workplace an appeal that seaplanes have always had over land plans perhaps the greatest appeal of seaplanes is found in the places they take you while plying the this aircraft and in a seaplane application every runway is different you're always going to different places different water conditions I think that's probably what what got me into the sea plane flying business in the first place somewhat now gosh I gets thirty years now and as for flying boats Mars is the granddaddy of them all not a bad combination these two aircraft probably the last of the fine books you'll ever see I don't think you'll ever see them again it's going to be a sad day I think when they eventually do go we're trying to keep them going just as long as we possibly can they're not abusing them we have great respect for them it's definitely an era gone by but we still got two of them flying here and they're doing one hell of a good job perhaps only Glenelg Martin could have imagined 50 years ago that his flying boat would still be flying today maybe not as a firefighter but flying boats were always known to be versatile Barr's survived a time in which aviation saw the magnitude of flying boats as a liability today that has become its greatest asset but the Hawaii and Philippine Mars are more than just remarkable aircraft especially to the crew they're just a part of it it becomes yours of a baby that you look after it and you maintain it and keep it in flying condition it hurts to see somebody else break it these planes are works of art that are a dying breed

Channel: Turbulence3000

Views: 2,804,845

Rating: 4.7703052 out of 5

Keywords: airplane, sea plane, flying boat, Aircraft (Invention), history, propeller, hydroplane, dornier, boeing, martin, mars, clipper, princess, short, sea, water

Id: Y22F9O3A0EM

Length: 51min 25sec (3085 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 18 2012

Reddit Comments

[u/DangerousPlane]

Thanks, this is awesome.