World War 2 water bomber flies over Sproat Lake

The Coulson Martin Mars water bomber, also known the "Flying Tanker", is back in B.C. to fight forest fires. It was in Lake Elsinore, California for two summers, but has been returned to its base at Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island.

The Coulsons have made significant upgrades  on the Hawaii Mars to bring it to higher aviation and safety standards for modern-day firefighting. It has an EFIS Glass Cockpit and the ability to stream live data from certain key on-board, indication systems. It also has Flight Tracking, Load Data measuring, Aircraft Performance statistics, Atmospheric Condition at Drop readings, and Accurate Drop Location reporting.

Residents at Sproat Lake are treated to a daily air show as the crew puts the aircraft through its paces so that it will be ready to fight fires at a moment's notice. People from all over the world come to see this heritage aircraft which is still flying.