Donate to help cover the Hawaii Mars rescue costs

"The Mars once saved BC, it is now time for BC to save the Mars."

Updated September 27/24:

1. Grand Opening press release added after intro message.

2. Please feel free to slide the "Tip GoFundMe Services" to zero so your whole donation goes to the project :)

Watch the short film of how the origin of our Save the Mars project.

The BC Aviation Museum is kindly asking for donations to help fund its Hawaii Mars water bomber rescue project.

Costs include getting the aircraft from the donor to the museum, documenting the process for sharing and finally setting up the Mars as a wonderful permanent display for the public to enjoy exploring up close and personal.

As everyone can understand, there are significant costs for rescuing a massive vintage aircraft. Between the donor and the museum, the final budget is projected to be between $750,000 to $1,250,000.

PRESS RELEASE, September 28, 2024

The Hawaii Mars water bomber public opening begins

from Saturday, September 28, 2024 onwards!

VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: The BC Aviation Museum is pleased to finally announce the moment everyone has been waiting for - the public opening of the iconic Hawaii Mars water bomber from Saturday, September 28, 2024 and ongoing into the fall!

The opening of the aircraft follows closely after its hugely popular flyby and arrival with the Canadian Snowbirds on August 11 when over 200,000 people on the Island, and hundreds of thousands of people online, watched this spectacular Forever Home flight.

As British Columbia’s most famous aircraft, the Hawaii Mars now begins its transformation from rescued intact water bomber to protected and celebrated public attraction as the crown jewel in the museum’s growing BC Wildfire Aviation exhibit.

From this Saturday, the public is invited to see the Hawaii Mars up close to personally experience its amazing historical and cultural significance. This is the first time in its 80-year history that it is being made available to visitors daily with museum tour guides to present the aircraft.

There are potentially five phases of increasing the presentation, interaction and preservation of the Hawaii Mars over the next few years, and phase one begins with its opening this weekend.

Please read carefully the details of phase one below so that everyone understands what to expect when arriving at the museum anytime in the coming months.

NOT YET MODIFIED: The Hawaii Mars is a huge retired and intact still-flyable water bomber that has not yet been modified for having large groups of people inside. Starting next month, dedicated volunteers will carefully prepare the aircraft to more easily allow access while also increasing conservation measures.

ENJOY WITH A TOUR GUIDE: From September 28, visitors may enter and explore certain parts of the aircraft with a tour guide present, including the flight deck to see the pilot’s seats and the beautiful view of the airport from the cockpit.

LIMITED ACCESSIBILITY: Please be aware there is limited accessibility inside the aircraft. Just like touring the various decks of a retired warship that requires visitors to climb in and out of tight spaces and move up and down steep vertical ladders, during phase one visitors moving through the Hawaii Mars will be required to do the same, just like the flight crews nimbly moved through the world’s largest water bomber for five decades.

PHASE TWO TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY: If limited accessibility is a concern for any visitor, please postpone entering the aircraft until phase two is complete when the lower deck has a long flat surface.

FLIGHT DECK: The upper flightdeck will always only be accessible by the original steep stairs through all presentation phases, similar to how the famous Spruce Goose has had its cockpit open to the public when it has been on display at various locations. The Hawaii Mars is a vintage, rescued intact aircraft that is to hopefully become certified by Heritage Canada, which means maintaining the Hawaii Mars in a state as close to its original configuration as possible.

TEMPORARY CLOSURES: At times in the coming months, the volunteers will be required to close certain spaces inside the aircraft, including the flight deck, when accessibility and preservation work is required. Visitors should be aware that on some days the whole tour of the Hawaii Mars might be limited. These specific workdays might not be announced prior due to the complexity of what is required, and therefore the museum appreciates everyone's understanding in advance.

FUTURE PHASES EXPAND THE EXPERIENCE: The museum aims to eventually expand the Hawaii Mars interactive options for visitors. While each transformation phase of the exhibit has yet to be confirmed, they may include the following;

VIP ribbing cutting video

LOCATION:

BC Aviation Musuem, 1910 Norseman Road, North Saanich, BC, Canada, V8L 5V5

HOURS:

Open Daily, 10:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. Except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day

ADMISSION:

Note: there is no extra fee to enter the Hawaii Mars at this time

Adult $17.00 + GST

Seniors $14.00 + GST

Youth (13-18) $14.00 + GST

Children (6-12) $7.00 the + GST

Military (active, veteran, cadet) $9.00 + GST

Adult Group (10 or more prebooked) $12.00 + GST

Children (5yrs and under) Free when accompanied by an adult family member.

ICONIC AND GLOBAL

From World War Two through to the Korean War, and then for over five decades in Canada, the Mars program had an incredibly positive impact, especially in Canadian aviation forest firefighting. The aircraft is beloved by many especially since the Hawaii Mars is one of only two remaining. As the largest water bomber in the world with a 200-foot wingspan, the aircraft is one of the biggest attractions in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. In its firefighting days it could drop more than 25,000 litres of water on each run!

The international interest in museum’s rescue of the Hawaii Mars has made it the number one international vintage aviation story of the year. For example, there are almost 10 million hits on the museum’s social media.

SUPPORT THE HAWAII MARS RESCUE!

Please donate to the official GoFundMe campaign!

ABOUT BRITISH COLUMBIA AVIATION MUSEUM

Located within the grounds of the Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island, the museum features aircraft and displays depicting 150 years of military, commercial, and private aviation history in the Province of British Columbia. Learn more about the BC Aviation Museum at the website.

HAWAII MARS CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Hawaii Mars has been widely beloved during its 8 decades of service, first in the US Navy as a troop transport from in both WW2 and the Korean War, and afterwards for the majority of this time as the world's largest ever water bomber, operating on the west coast from Sproat Lake, Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada.

When you heard the Hawaii Mars coming, you felt safe.

The sentimental attachment runs deeper than just being a flying boat as it is more akin to a long-serving, trustworthy sailing ship of old.

But we need your help to donate now because all parts of the rescue project have real expenses beyond volunteer time.

Whether you are a Mars fan, a former Mars staffer, a Port Alberni resident, an aviation buff, an aerospace worker, a BC forest service employee or just someone who wishes to preserve one of the most iconic aircraft not only in Canada, but the world, everyone's donation goes along way.

The preparation, flight and arrival are a once in a life-time experience, plus the Mars has never been accessible to the public so the Grand Opening with full access is a truly unique opportunity many are looking forward to.

We warmly thank you in advance for your support towards this important and time sensitive project.

Sincerely,

Richard Mosdell

Save the Mars project lead

BC Aviation Museum

at the Victoria International Airport

www.bcam.net

FACT SHEET

FINAL FOREVER HOME FLIGHT WAS SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2024: The Hawaii Martin Mars water bomber flew south across the communities on beautiful Vancouver Island and arrived in Victoria in formation with the Canadian Snowbirds, an amazing once in the lifetime experience.

ROUTE: The Hawaii Mars took off from Sproat Lake, Port Alberni and landed on the ocean at Patricia Bay in the Saanich Inlet directly beside the Victoria Airport.

NO WATER DROP: As much as everyone wanted to see it happen, for this special final flight there was no water drop option possible.

ARRIVAL TO MOVING: After arrival, it was de-watered by Nickel Brothers Moving at the Institute of Ocean Sciences and Canadian Coast Guard, lifted into a state-of-the-art 360-degree cargo carrier and slowly moved around several buildings before being carried across the Victoria Airport to rest beside the museum.

ICONIC: Almost everyone in BC has a Mars water bomber story as for over 6 decades it had an incredibly positive impact in Canadian aviation firefighting, and the aircraft is cherished by many especially since the Hawaii Mars is one of only two left in the world.

BIGGEST: With a wingspan of over 200 feet, this will be one of the Biggest (in every sense) attractions in Victoria and on Vancouver Island.

PERFORMANCE: In its firefighting days it could drop more than 25,000 litres of water on each run!

FIRST-TIME EVER PUBLIC ACCESS: Once settled in at its specially designed forever home location at the museum, there is an open experience format so that everyone may visit the Hawaii Mars to get up close and personal with it, even visit the flight deck.

SHARING THE JOURNEY: This forever home flight will be documented on various media formats for sharing daily and into the future.

GLOBAL FANS: As the number one global vintage aircraft story of the 2024, the international interest in the final flight and the Hawaii Mars itself has already created well over 5 million social media hits.

NEW HAWAII MARS FANS: This new crown jewel in the museum’s BC Wildfire Aviation Exhibit will absolutely bring forward the amazing history and stories of the Mars to a whole new audience, plus fuel even more interest in discovering the many other amazing aircraft and their stories at the BC Aviation Museum.