Martin Mars Philippine Mars

Martin JRM-1 Mars BuNo 76820 named Philippine Mars –was delivered to the US Navy on 26 June 1946 and assigned to VR-2 at NAS Alameda, California. The aircraft was later converted and re-designated JRM-3.

Withdrawn from service on 22 August 1956, it was sold in 1959 to a Canadian company, Forest Industries Flying Tankers (FIFT), and converted to a forest fire fighting aircraft and registered CF-LYK (later C-FLYK). The aircraft continued to fly with Flying Tankers Incorporated until she and the Hawaii Mars were purchased in 2007 by the Coulson Group. The Philippine Mars has not flown on fires since the summer of 2006 and was repainted to original U.S. Navy markings in preparation for transfer to be a museum display at the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida. The plan to ferry her to the museum in April or May 2016 was put on hold. As of September 2020, the Philippine Mars remains stored at the Sproat Lake base alongside the Hawaii Mars.