By David Wiwchar

Hawaii Mars flies Sunday

Hawaii Mars flies Saturday and Sunday

Aug 9, 2024 | 9:19 AM

The Hawaii Mars flight on Sunday will be a spectacle.

News crews and documentarians from around the world will be filming the event from helicopters, boats and cars.

Wayne Coulson says people in the Alberni Valley will get to see the plane doing test flights Saturday before leaving on Sunday.

“The airplane will be out doing some flying on Saturday,” he said. “It’ll be flying around town, it’ll be out doing some media with it and getting some some air to air photographs and some video and then she’ll be warming up on Sunday and off she goes Sunday afternoon.”

When the Hawaii Mars heads down island to its final resting place at the BC Aviation Museum, thousands of islanders will watch it fly past and salute it for a job well done.

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The 80-year old troop transporter spent the bulk of its life fighting forest fires around Vancouver Island and as far afield as California for more than 47 years.

Coulson says the Hawaii Mars set the template for the future of Coulson Aviation.

“It’s just been such an honour to own that airplane and it’s brought so much good not only to the community, but certainly to our company,” he said. “As we look at transitioning away from that particular airplane, we’ve taken all the basic principles of it, speed and force and designed our business around it, and it’s served us well.”

The Snowbirds are performing at the Abbotsford Airshow until 4:45 on Sunday, and will rendezvous with the Hawaii Mars around 5 pm near Lantzville.

Coulson says Alberni residents will be seeing the Phillipine Mars doing similar test flights later next month.