Good thing there is no ramp!
M-Press-ive! (Photo Credit seems to come from here: gfydad):
For more information on the Mars Fire Bomber I recommend this Flight Journal Article. Mars Attacks!
And from our own Steeljaw Scribe his great historical essay here:
Hey! It used to be a Navy Bird!
Back in the day... (from wikipedia)
The Martin Company effectively scaled up their successful PBM Mariner patrol bomber design to produce the prototype XPB2M-1 Mars.[1] After flight tests with the XPB2M between 1941 and 1943, she was passed on to the Navy. The original patrol bomber concept was considered obsolete by this time, and the Mars was converted into a transport aircraft designated the XPB2M-1R. The Navy was satisfied with the performance, and ordered 20 of the modified JRM-1 Mars.[1] The first, named Hawaii Mars, was delivered in June 1945, but the with the end of World War II the Navy scaled back their order, buying only the five aircraft which were then on the production line.[2] Though the original Hawaii Mars was lost in an accident on Chesapeake Bay, the other 5 Mars were completed, and the last delivered in 1947.
Named the Marianas Mars, Philippine Mars, Marshall Mars, Caroline Mars, and a second Hawaii Mars, the 5 production Mars aircraft entered service ferrying cargo to Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. The last production airplane (the Caroline Mars) was designated JRM-2, powered by 3,000 HP Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines, and featured a higher maximum weight and other improvements. On April 5, 1950, the Marshall Mars was lost near Hawaii when an engine fire consumed the airplane after her crew had evacuated. The remaining "Big Four" flew record amounts of Naval cargo on the San Francisco-Honolulu route efficiently until 1956, when they were parked at NAS Alameda.[1]
I can see my old house in a few of these pics...
Posted by: D. Kroll | March 02, 2013 at 19:54
Got to see some water bombers loading up in the Okanagan a few summers back. Very impressive.
Posted by: Al | September 16, 2011 at 07:34