Final Flight of the Martin Mars Waterbomber

Wallpaper Description:

Initially constructed in the 1940s, the Martin Mars was the largest aircraft built by the US Government during World War II. The United States Navy operated the airplanes between California and the Hawaiian islands for 13 years in support of military operations in the South Pacific. After the war, FIFT purchased and converted the Mars airframe to water bombers in 1960, operating as aerial firefighting aircraft for 47 years in British Columbia – FIFT was nothing less than a visionary world-class aviation organization.

The Martin Mars was the largest water bomber in the world until 2006, operating for decades as a pair. During an aerial fire operation, a collective total of 14,400 USG (55,000 liters) of water would drop as an initial attack strategy to tame a forest fire.