LAKE PLEASANT, Ariz. – A historic gem from World Warfare II landed on Lake Nice on Feb. 10 and is being formally retired and showcased in an Arizona house museum.
What we all know:
The dismantling course of took weeks as crews labored to move the flying boat, piece by piece, to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.
It flew 1,500 miles from Vancouver Island, Canada to Lake Nice.
The airplane, the Philippine Mars, was the final flying boat from World Warfare II. It is also called the Martin Mars.
“It is a distinctive second in historical past. You’ll see 737, 767, 777, which might be very giant, however nothing like this functionality,” mentioned Ramon Purcell of Boneyard Safari.
Preserving warplanes is what Purcell and the Boneyard Safari group do, however this one is completely different. Purcell says there’s nothing prefer it.
The water bomber shouldn’t be a ship and never a airplane, however each. Sea-proof and sky-proof.
“That is so completely different as a result of it’s designed to spend its life in its main spot, which is the water,” Purcell mentioned.
The backstory:
From tail to nostril, constructed throughout World Warfare II, it’s the most important flying boat ever made. The double-decker craft has a hull like a ship, an anchor, latches, home windows and doorways.
Beneath the wings is a water tanker able to holding 6,000 gallons of water. Proper under is the cockpit and a lockout hatch.
“That’s not only a airplane window. That’s a porthole. There are hatches. Every door is a hatch, and it’s a watertight hatch,” Purcell defined.
The airplane transported cargo and wounded troops throughout the warfare and was later utilized by Canada to combat fires.
As you make your manner upstairs, it transforms into an plane, with the identical engineer flight deck from the 40s.
“There are many nooks, there’s little locations. You begin questioning what was it like, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 years in the past, to be flying on this plane,” Purcell mentioned.
The notes, nobs, headphones, and gas talents are simply as they have been many years in the past. The airplane is disassembled bolt by bolt and moved piece by piece right down to Tuscon.
The ultimate flight shall be ceaselessly memorialized.
“Not solely are you getting a time capsule from the 40s, however you are getting it from 2025, when it noticed its final flight,” Purcell mentioned.
Its wings span 200 ft, the flying boat can solely land on water, which is why it landed at Lake Nice, and never at an airport.
You may study extra in regards to the airplane and the Pima Air and Area Museum by clicking here.
