This mind-blowing flying boat gathers lake water to combat fires

This incredible flying boat can tackle fires by scooping up water from a lake while taxiing before flying out to the fire and dumping the water from above. 

The original designs for the unusual vessels were drawn up all the way back in the 1940s, but they’ve undergone some modifications since then. 

The large, four-engine flying boats—called the Martin JRM Mars—were designed and built for the United States Navy during World War II and were the largest Allied flying boats to be produced. 

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After WWII the flying boat was converted for civilian use 

Only seven of the flying boats were created.

Post-war, four of the surviving aircraft were given a new use as firefighting water bombers. 

The conversion for civilian use involved creating and fitting a plywood tank in the cargo bay that had capacity for 27,276 liters (7,200 US gallons) of water.

The tank had retractable pick-up scoops to allow the aircraft to upload water while it was taxiing, which allowed 30 tons of water to be taken on board in just 22 seconds.

The aircraft can cover an area of up four acres (1.6 hectares). 

One of those converted to be used for firefighting is the Hawaii Martin, which you can see in the clip. 

The Mars aircraft has now been sent to a museum 

It was actually the last of the converted Mars aircraft still in use but was retired and has been sent off to The British Columbia Aviation Museum. 

Until it was taken to its ‘final resting place’, where the Hawaii Mars was operated by Canada-based Coulson Aviation, which used it to tackle fires. 

Announcing the retirement of the aircraft, Coulson Aviation said it had been ‘an honor’. 

“Coulson Aviation would like to acknowledge and thank the BCFS, USFS, and CALFIRE for allowing us, since 2007, to showcase our company’s capability to safely and effectively operate these aircraft and serve ground firefighters and citizens under the threat of fire,” the company said in a statement. 

“It has been an honor for our family to be entrusted with these aircraft and the hope they represent for the public in time of need as we have all been negatively impacted in some way by the devastation of wildfire.”