4 engine tanker takes off from Lake Elsinore, CA

[KitkaraWhiteTiger]

I was at the high school while they were taking water and flying around. I remember watching it from the balcony of the second story of one of the buildings during my Adv.Bio class. I thought it was going to hit the library because it was flying so low! That definitely is one of the most memorable things that happened while living in Elsinore.

[drstevenrey]

Just imagine, these Mars's are 65 years old and are stil hard at work. These are not fancy little warbirds making a wussy low pass. This is hard work and great results. Just absolutly amazing. May they soar the skies for years to come.

[motokid032]

Got a picture of that Mars and Coulsons' Sikorsky S-76 on a magazine cover.

[AccessAir]

This would be a Martin Mars flying boat...

[BarrelBurner43]

Its located in Port Alberni! Lol I know cause I live there.

[bingofioul]

other interresting things, in france the water in your pool belongs to the water bomber helicopter...and the overseeing is made by water bomber flying all the day in summer.

[bingofioul]

this plane seems good for california use but can't be easily used in mediterranean country as we need more manoeuvrable aircraft.

Nice Vid, didn't know this plane before !

[sonex424]

@bingofioul Well there is only one left-lol And what do you have over there that we don't here?

[bingofioul]

@sonex424 i don't know what you use in CA but i'd like to! in france we use something like 14 CL415; some Tracker S-2FT, and 1 dash 8. We are currently testing The Russian BE-200.to replace the old tracker and old CL415.

The pilot here don't like the DASH 8 because it isn't fairly manoeuvrable and need to land to reload water.

In south of france the problem is that when fire happens, it's with strong wind (100Km/h or more) and in the mountain. (escuse my english...)

[bingofioul]

does the aircraft belongs to CA state or US army or ... ?

[sonex424]

@bingofioul It's owned by Coulson Flying Tankers. Based on Vancouver Island BC. They contract out. Mostly Canada, but also U.S. and Mexico

[bingofioul]

@sonex424 you mean that's a private company ?

[sonex424]

@bingofioul yep, coulsongroup(dot)com

[bingofioul]

@sonex424 WTF !? But does CA or USA have it's own fleet ?

[sonex424]

@bingofioul Coulson Owns the only operational 2 left. They bought the only four in 1959. One crashed. one was destroyed by a hurricane. Operating both they can drop 60,000lbs of water every 7 minutes. Roughly 7 times more than a CL215 or CL 415

[bingofioul]

@sonex424 yes that's huge, but what about the other kind of waterbomber operating in USA ? can you tell me more (see my comment down)

[sonex424]

@bingofioul US forest service operates around fifty aircraft from C130s to Air Tractors. They are all land based although they may operate some Air Tractor Fire Bosses..Not sure. They are restricted from buying from buying CL215s and 415s for no other reason except politics as far as I know

[hudson501]

Wow! It's amazing that something that old, that big, that terrific looking is still flying off the water earning it's keep!

[haitiano1982]

well let me tell you the camera man sucked ass, watched 300 minutes of water taxiing, and then he couldnt hold it steady for the take off.... hotddamnit

[MrMelon49]

@elauper8 Au contraire mon ami. This very aircraft was my family's ride back to the states from Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii in '54. I'm curious why you think it never flew to Hawaii, that's certainlay too far to paddle or row.

[MrMelon49]

In '54, when my Dad PCS'd from Pearl Harbor to Denver, This was our ride from Oahu to San Francisco. It is a wonder to me to see the very same aircraft still flying 57 years later. I, too, am no spring chicken. In the future, I would like to get up with Coulson and see if they would let me pay for a ride along.

[harold562]

>< no fair! fishes ride for free

[RobinhooodGFX]

Don't ever work for Nat Geo

[WizardOfChicamunga]

Maybe in the future, you can get properly prepared to get the shot cameraman. You missed the whole show here.

[shadoww1000]

..this isnt a California based plane...Its a Canadian plane from British Columbia leased to fight fires at Lake Elsinore...and yup u are fortunate to have it!

[eventhorizonbm]

Does the pilot need clearance from a control tower for this particular takeoff?

[MrRammsteinKicksAss]

@eventhorizonbm if the "water runway" belongs to an airport then yes, otherwise no but he should warn other airplanes around and has to contact the airspace surveillance once he's in the air

[eventhorizonbm]

@MrRammsteinKicksAss

Interesting. Thanks!

[eventhorizonbm]

Do these pilots need clearance from a control tower to take off of water?

[cmritchie04]

@eventhorizonbm if they are within their respective air spaces they do... but not a big problem.

[nootaramus]

you missed the takeoff you fuck tard!

[kewlmynd99]

This is a Martian Mars water bomber from Port Alberni, BC, Canada... one of only 3 or 4 left in the wrld. They are utilized by California during their wildfire season during the fall and spring. During the summer they are in BC although the costs to crew these historical aircraft are becoming obsolete for lack of a better term. Lat year only 1 saw work and I would hazard a guess these will be retired from the sky within the next decade. Sad but inevitable...

[alberniweather]

@kewlmynd99 Are only 2 left in the world, both are based in Port Alberni. The Hawaii Mars is active, the Phillipine Mars has been on blocks on a land for a few years as they haven't been able to get work for her. It is fully operational though. There were 4 that were bought from the US Military but one crashed and one was damaged beyond repair by a hurricane that hit Victoria BC while it was on blocks on land being converted to a waterbomber.

[kewlmynd99]

@alberniweather thanks for the update! Cheers...

[WTFLYR]

I have a Boston Acoustics sound system on my pc with bass reflex, and that was the best airplane sound I've ever heard on this machine. Very realistic at full volume.

[rayzordee]

Learn the art of framing your camera...geeezzz

[Iris421989]

could have done without spending half my life watching it taxi

[CanonNinja]

was the siren from coulson's chase s-76?

[squadman33]

What a beast ...

[BouilleurdenfantS]

beautiful tree

[TeamCullen100prct]

I live in lake elsinore... 23 years now, I've seen this magnificient beauty fly. And it is continually deployed for pubic service and protection after how many years from it's birth? All of you are over analyzing... We should all be greatful that some thing that was created generations ago can still be relevant today and USEFULL.

[foskco87]

I live on sproat lake where these things have spent most their lives and I just have to say they should not be retired as they are still easily the most effective fire fighting planes in the world. I got to fly in the hawaii mars this february and it was one of the smoothest flights ive ever had in my life. Besides, the load capacity of these plains is the enormous and they are float planes so their reload time is literally like 45 seconds. Plus they were designed in WW2 for traveling really far

[viper1966]

Flew in it, Death from ubove

[Critter145]

The sound is great, thanks for the vid!

[BenC63]

To: GreenCheekConure. You are obviously are simple minded and do not appreciate just what firefighting aircarft such as this means to us here in Southern California. We are lucky to have a praise the specialized firefighting aircraft here..

[TheBassguy1]

@TheGreenCheekConure <--- Worst person ever

[classicseast]

My father was an inspector on PBMs in the early part of the war but was then shifted to help build the 1st Hawaii MARS. I still have his letter from Martin commending him for 'a job well done', and signed by all the Department heads. Unfortunately it was lost in a startup fire in a remote part of the Pax river. There was only one small fire extinguisher and when that was empty there was nothing to do but watch it burn. Most people don't know this is a replacement for the 1st Hawaii Mars.

[schafferde]

I flew on this plane to Hawaii when I was 10.  It was part of the MATS line flying military and dependents. And yes, I am old!

[Roster79]

hoggdawn it is down here

[hoggdawn]

Lets get these big 'boats down in S. Cal NOW! It is burning up like the towering inferno----Canada: come and save us from our own fire-borne folly!

[PTRJason]

They already are.

[hobbes71002]

They are there, but we could use them here to, we have over 100 fires active in BC.

[rlwilson1]

I love my fellow Canadians.  This is the best thing that's ever happened to Southern California. Way to go guys! Show how it's done!!!

[GhostJohn21]

God my home town finally becoming a lil bit famous?? haha i love lake elsinore its where i grew up

[skwid12]

can you idiots build your own so we dont have to fly around the world to put out your fires... and nothing comes close to the effectiveness of these old giants

[kickZtailout]

Who are the idiots you're referring to?

Can you guess who built that plane? Hint hint... it wasn't Canada.

Note to all the respectful Canadians... thanks for sending Hawaii Mars down here every summer. I've got some great photos of it working a few of the fires.

[SammysRule]

LOL........Yeah, they are idiots, for buying them and then leasing them to you..........How to make money 101 :-)

[Holdfast1812]

@kickZtailout

Interestingly, up here in BC they're home base is up at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni which is pretty much out in the boonies.  So in a wierd twist, the time they get down in the States putting out fires gets them more pictures and video than it does up here. But in forest fire season, the only reason they're down there is because of higher danger to life, we burn up here too.

[katana1150]

I'm surprized that this out-of-date aircraft is still being used!, Large!-yes, impresive!-yes. But it is time to replace these aged aircraft with something more modern such as the Beriev BE-200. The Russians have built some very effective firefighting aircraft

[fighterjetsensei]

This here is American Aeronautics at it's FINEST. better yet, This beauty was made in my Home state of Maryland! BALTIMORE Engineering at it's finest!

[nimrod1300]

i live in lake elsinore

[wakitu]

Awesome sight - and sound! - when this thing goes by just over the water.

[JRbabygirl11]

haha wow ppl are acctually starting to notice lil lake elsinore b.c. of this plane thingy -.-" none of my friends from indiana knew where i lived until this thingy came along lol so sad

[leadfiveone]

Got a few pics of this thing at Shasta Lake in Nor Cal...

[kevinM2123]

yep we think big up here haha

[bassplaya1549]

that thing is Ginormus!

[thesab]

Pretty amazing, considering this type entered service in 1943!

[USAFThunderBirdsFtw]

Say hello to the Mars Water bomber. (:

[justeglio1]

it's a martin mars water bomber owned by the coulson company stationed out of Sproat Lake Port Alberni Vancouver Island British Columbia

[JSAirways]

omg! I've never seen this type of aircraft before! O.O

[habs106]

the plane had a siren so every one could get out of its way while it flew.....

[jordanritch]

I have wakeboarded underneath the wing of this aircraft at sproat lake on vancouver island

[lubsmymusic]

they have a siren to let the ground crws know that the drop is comming that specific fire attack plane is called the super scuper a trap door opens and the water from the lake enters the tanks so that a base retern is not needed

[Fireman137]

This is not a Super Scooper, not even close. THis is a Martin Mars and isd almost twice the size of a super scooper

[MAYINSANTI]

...MARTIN MARS.

[grandmashortbread]

hah yeah you get used to it when its stationed in your lake here ha its port alberni on vancouver island it is loud but its so awsome i never knew they had a siren hmm.

[UnitedSkyes]

Wow it even has a siren =) lol

[markgallicano]

@UnitedSkyes that thing sets off car alarms,gotta love it

[Spartan00000000]

nice earthquake