The excitement of an aviation lifetime!!!

Our crew was in Canada to fly for the Abbotsford International Airshow, producing again a super successful project with too many highlights to count. And of course the ‘cool beans’ like the Snowbirds, A-10 and F-22 Raptor.

We knew of course that the famous Martin ‘Hawaii’ Mars was about to make its final flight around the same timeframe. But due to a number of challenges around the flight ( weather & mechanical being the prime suspects as usual ) the date was very uncertain.

Only when we were already in Canada the ball started to roll with a few emails from the Coulson team that were too good to be true. I had to triple check to make sure that they said what they said… and oh yes, the final photomission would take place on Saturday, while we finished our photomissions for Abbotsford on the Friday. Weather forecast: brilliant!

So on Saturday morning our team flew to Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, the semi-private airport for Coulson firefighting operations. Before landing we flew a 360 around Sproat Lake – home of the Hawaii and Philippine Mars – to see the giant flying boat reflecting in the golden water… could it be really happening?

There was certainly a buzz around the seaport, as a number of photographers were waiting outside, but none of them were allowed in as the tourist tours closed many years ago. Lucky us, as we had a private pick up from the Coulson team! And it got only better… while we were there, and a bit early, we got another email from the pr-team inviting us on the very last high speed taxi run, we really had all of the aviation luck in the world just for us that day! A chance to ‘ride’ in the boat was at least as exciting as the photoflight, what an unbelievable once in a lifetime chance. The size of the Hawaii Mars is just so impressive, the wingspan is for real the same as a Boeing 747!!

After a long and detailed briefing everyone was pumped to get back to Port Alberni and board the Skyvan for the ultimate magic… in the sunset.

Funny details, as our side is visited by aviation enthusiasts around the world: we invited 2 of the Coulson team to fly with us in the Skyvan for this historic event… and they said no. Only the third person would join us and having for sure the best Coulson day ever.

They had told us not to worry, we would hear it clearly when the Mars would take off from the nearby lake… and did we hear it!!! That sound of the four radial engines bursting into life, another memory forever.

The flight itself was the definition of 100% pure aviation heaven, like we were filming a scene for an Indiana Jones movie. It sure was a challenge at times to have the flying boat close enough to the Skyvan photoship, but both the flightcrew in the Mars and Vince in the Skyvan made it work. When you thought the view just could not get any better, it got better, with mountains and snow. When we thought the light was just perfect… it got more perfect with that golden glow on the aircraft. At the end of the flight the sun was gone, so we prepared to land, only to witness the giant Martin Mars touch the water… and took off again! Every single second was so worth this day we will never forget.

We can use all the words in the dictionary to describe how fantastic this photomission really was. In our long series of ‘once in a lifetime’ we have been priviledged to fly with the Vickers Vimy, Vulcan, Canberra, Starfighter etc but this flight topped them all. Amazing, EPIC

Our biggest round of applause and THANK YOU goes to the Coulson team who made it possible in the end and gave us a longtime dream coming true to see, feel and hear the Hawaii Mars in its final moments of a very long aviation life.