Marshall Mars found

[Biggles Flies Undone]

I picked up an article from the LA Times on Reuters this morning. Not sure if I’m allowed to publish the full text, but a synopsis is:

Researchers cataloguing underwater debris around Pearl Harbour have found the main body of the Marshall Mars. This was a Navy seaplane that had a 200-foot wingspan and mainly carried cargo but also once got airborne with over 300 passengers.

It sank in 1950 following an engine fire/explosion.

Must have been quite a sight to see it get off the water!

[treadigraph]

Wow! Wonder if thye'd ever consider recovering it (and whether it'd be worth it...)

If ever you go to Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island you might be lucky enough to see the two surviving Martin Mars flying - they are used for fire bombing, and long may they continue to be so!

They did have three but one was lost in a crash many many years ago...

Picture... (http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=445042&WxsIERv=TWFydGluIEpSTS0zIE1hcnM%3D&WdsYXMg=Rm9yZXN0IEluZHVzdHJpZXMgRmx5aW5nIFRhbmtlcnM%3D&QtODMg=U3Byb2F0IExha2U%3D&ERDLTkt=Q2FuYWRhIC0gQnJpdGlzaCBDb2x1bWJpYQ%3D%3D&ktODMp=QXByaWwgNywgMTk5NA%3D%3D&BP=0&WNEb25u=QW5keSBNYXJ0aW4gLSBBaXJUZWFtSW1hZ2Vz&xsIERvdWdsY=Qy1GTFlM&MgTUQtODMgKE=T25lIG9mIHRoZSBsYXN0IHR3byBzdXJ2aXZpbmcgTWFycyB mbHlpbmcgYm9hdHMgZHVtcHMgaXRzIHJldGFyZGFudCBsb2FkIGR1cmluZyB hIGxvdyBydW4gYWNyb3NzIGl0cyBob21lIGJhc2Uu&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=MjY0OA%3D%3D&NEb25uZWxs=MjAwMy0xMC0yMQ%3D%3D&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes&sok=V0hFUkUgIChhaXJjcmFmdF9nZW5lcmljID0gJ01hcnRpbiBKUk0tMyBN YXJzJykgIE9SREVSIEJZIHBob3RvX2lkIERFU0M%3D&photo_nr=7)

[ChrisVJ]

See them round here quite a bit.

I was on my way down to Osoyos, I stopped to regas at Hope. The airport there is in a valley maybe a mile or mile anda half wide with two or three others branching off. While I was filling up a chap rushed over from the gliding club and said they were going to close the airport due to local firefighting so I had about ten minutes to get out. Just then a Mars flew out of a really narrow branch valley at about a thousand feet and disappeared over the hill towards the lake. It is big. I was on my way in about three minutes.