The other Mars Airtankers - any photos?

[Tillerman]

According to this website http://www.oldwings.nl/content/mars/mars_a.htm two other Mars' were converted for the air tanker role: CF-LYJ and CF-LYM but both were written off by accidents. A quick Google search for photos of these two waterbombers gave no returns.
Can anyone help?

Tillerman.

[JDK]

One was lost in a fatal accident in the early days of the operation, before procedures had been fully worked out.

The other was lost in a gale, while parked.

Both didn't serve for long and certainly predate the internet and internet photo selections!

From one of my articles on the type:

The first machine, CF-LYJ, Marianas Mars was carefully converted as water-bomber by Fairey Aviation of Canada utilising drop doors and tanks fitted in place of the cargo loading bay, enabling a re-conversion to the freight role, if that was later required. Though successful, this machine was lost in an accident, and the crew of four killed due to pilot error in June 1961. The second machine CF-LYL (with the red tail, and named Hawaii Mars) actually had some of the fuel tankage under the hull waterline converted to water tanks, and drop doors installed in the planning hull – a more permanent conversion. A third machine (CF-LYK, Philippine Mars, white tail) was converted as the first machine had been with the side drop doors. A forth machine, Caroline Mars, CF-LYM, was actually destroyed while on the ground by Hurricane Freida in October 1962 (though many parts have been retained by FIFT). Huge though these machines are, even today as a result they have large airflow spoilers positioned on the wings when parked ashore.

IIRC, I don't think LYM had been concerted yet. Many of the parts, including the wings, are stored at Sproat Lake.

[JDK]

Sorry, this time I'll try and answer the question: I've not seen any photos of either aircraft complete in FT colours. Given they existed (as FT machines) for less than four years, back in the 60s, there's probably very few if any photos taken. When I was talking to FT Inc about the aircraft, I didn't specifically ask, or see any photos of these two, but if anyone had them, it would be the inheritors of the FT job, Coulson Flying Tankers. (www.martinmars.com)

[Second Air Force]

Here is a photo of Caroline Mars after her destruction by mother nature:

I apologize for the photo quality--I have kept this in a "file" for years and have no idea where it was originally published. Notice that she evidently was still in her Navy paint scheme. There was a thread on WIX recently that showed a current-day photo of what I presume to be Caroline's nose section.
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=13520

Scott

[Tillerman]

Thanks for the pic. Compare it with the photo of a (maybe the same?) Mars in this PDF magazine -> scroll down to page 7: http://www.flyvfc.com/database/Patrician2June07.pdf

The caption says it's an early photo of Philippine Mars.

Also interesting in both pictures are the fences on top of the wing, to prevent high winds creating sufficient lift to get the plane bouncing around the ramp when beached.

While searching the net for pictures I also found some interesting underwater photos from the burned and exploded Marshall Mars: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2354.htm

Tillerman.

[Canso42]

Im diverging a bit but still on the same aircraft topic. A fifth production Mars was lost while in USN service from a fire. Does anyone know what became of the prototype? It had a canted twin tail like a PBM and a more blunt nose. Beer cans and lawn chairs?

Canso42

[Timelapse]

Here is a video of the Hawaii Mars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEUrjRKiEic

[mike furline]

Old thread, but here goes.

http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-photo ... rs/CF-LYJ/

http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-photo ... rs/CF-LYJ/

http://aeronavale-porteavions.com/viewt ... f=7&t=2211