The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

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SierraPoppa
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The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by SierraPoppa »

From CBC.ca
The largest water bomber in the world is flying to Alberta from British Columbia to help fight wildfires in the oilsands region.

Alberta Sustainable Resources says the Martin Mars is to begin dropping huge loads of water Saturday on the Richardson back-country fires.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/s ... omber.html
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co-joe
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by co-joe »

Very cool. why does the Mars always come up as "the world's largest water bomber" when it can only scoop 27 000 Litres of water and the DC 10 can drop 12 000 gallons or 45 600 Litres? Just curious...
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Commonwealth
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Commonwealth »

co-joe wrote:Very cool. why does the Mars always come up as "the world's largest water bomber" when it can only scoop 27 000 Litres of water and the DC 10 can drop 12 000 gallons or 45 600 Litres? Just curious...
Perhaps it is the worlds' largest flying boat and that just doesn't have the same ring to it??? Not really sure, anyone more informed?????
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SierraPoppa
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by SierraPoppa »

Commonwealth wrote:
co-joe wrote:Very cool. why does the Mars always come up as "the world's largest water bomber" when it can only scoop 27 000 Litres of water and the DC 10 can drop 12 000 gallons or 45 600 Litres? Just curious...
Perhaps it is the worlds' largest flying boat and that just doesn't have the same ring to it??? Not really sure, anyone more informed?????
Perhaps they are just coming up with the largest size-wise not how much water it can drop?

The Mars has a larger wingspan perhaps that's it. :D
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Tiny Voices
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Tiny Voices »

Or perhaps it's because being that it is a water bomber, the Mars drops water, where as the DC-10 typically drops retardant?
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iflyforpie
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by iflyforpie »

There is a distinct distinction between water bombers and air tankers, though most of Joe public use the two terms interchangeably.
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Geez did I say that....? Or just think it....?
Big Pistons Forever
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Big Pistons Forever »

The only thing that matters is the number of gallons of water on the fire put on the fire at the end of the daylight. In almost every circumstance one CL415 can out produce the MARS, and is much more flexible and requires far less ground support. The day of the MARs is over and they belong in a museum
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just curious
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by just curious »

If you're going to express views like that, shouldn't you be chaining your name to big compressor blades forever?
Just sayin'
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All Sides
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by All Sides »

[quote="Big Pistons Forever"]The only thing that matters is the number of gallons of water on the fire put on the fire at the end of the daylight. In almost every circumstance one CL415 can out produce the MARS, and is much more flexible and requires far less ground support. The day of the MARs is over and they belong in a museum[/quote]

Sounds like sour grapes to me...................
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beechnut
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by beechnut »

Allsides
1 Mars = 4 Ducks
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CJ3PILOT
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by CJ3PILOT »

All Sides wrote:
Big Pistons Forever wrote:The only thing that matters is the number of gallons of water on the fire put on the fire at the end of the daylight. In almost every circumstance one CL415 can out produce the MARS, and is much more flexible and requires far less ground support. The day of the MARs is over and they belong in a museum
Sounds like sour grapes to me...................
Yeah and it can land at an airport.Where is the Mars going to stay,
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arsenal
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by arsenal »

Ummmm...

It's going to stay on a lake?

How much do 4 CL415's cost?
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sstaurus
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by sstaurus »

just curious wrote:If you're going to express views like that, shouldn't you be chaining your name to big compressor blades forever?
Just sayin'
:lol:
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flyinggreasemonkey
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by flyinggreasemonkey »

Who gives a shit which bomber is better? It's a freaking forest fire...the more planes, the merrier.
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Cat Driver
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Cat Driver »

Some interesting opinions being posted here.

Fire requires three things to burn.

Fuel.

Heat.

Oxygen.

A properly delivered drop from a Mars will remove a whole lot of heat and the recovery of heat in the drop zone is in direct relation to the amount of heat suppressing material you deliver to the area.

At least that is what I am led to believe.
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by P180 »

arsenal wrote:Ummmm...

It's going to stay on a lake?

How much do 4 CL415's cost?
And what lake would that be.This is not Ontario.
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kiloindiapapa
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by kiloindiapapa »

Not sure what size it needs but there is Gregoire lake, a reclaimed pond near Syncrude, Kearl Lake, Namur, Mclleland and also the Athabasca River.
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Zapp Brannigan »

I read it will be based at Gregoire Lake.
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All Sides
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by All Sides »

[quote][/quote]
And what lake would that be.This is not Ontario.[/quote]

Do you really think that ASRD would hire the MARS and not have a lake to operate out of?????? :roll:
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Big Pistons Forever
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Re: The Martin Mars is coming to nothern Alberta

Post by Big Pistons Forever »

co-joe wrote:Very cool. why does the Mars always come up as "the world's largest water bomber" when it can only scoop 27 000 Litres of water and the DC 10 can drop 12 000 gallons or 45 600 Litres? Just curious...

A distinction that is hardly ever made is that the MARS can only scoop 27000 litres when it is scooping from sea level on a relatively cool day and after some gas has been used. When the MARS was scooping out of Okanagan Lake flighting the 2003 Kelowna fires it was 36 degs C and obviously well above sea level They were only taking 10,000 lites a scoop and even then the aircraft would hardly climb, making for 747 size circuits. The conditions required such a down load that the massive micro climate changing drop that is the MARS specialty just was not there. The bottom politically incorrect line: CL415s were getting 4 drops for every one from the MARS and it was mostly just getting in the way.

Don't get me wrong I love big old piston pounders but the day of the MARS has passed. It thrived working the West Coast slash burning fires, but those days are over and trying to make it work in an environment it was never intended for is IMO a waste of tax payer dollars. It would be better to give it a dignified retirement at a good museum than flog it until it dies.
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