Martin 170 Mars
The Martin JRM Mars was one of the largest flying boats ever built, originally designed for US Navy cargo transport. Only seven were completed, and their huge wingspan and four radial engines made them extraordinary machines even beside other wartime seaplanes. Several later became Canadian forest-fire bombers, scooping water from lakes and dropping it over wildfires. The final flying Mars retired in 2016, ending the operational career of a truly giant piston-powered flying boat.
Did you know?
The Martin Mars was one of the largest flying boats ever built; the last survivor flew for decades afterward as a Canadian forest-fire water bomber.
Specifications
| Length | 35.7 m (117 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 61 m (200 ft) |
| Height | 11.7 m (38 ft) |
| Persons on board | 143 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 67.1 t |
| Range | 3,000 NM (5,556 km) |
| Maximum speed | 190 kt (352 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 ft (4,572 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 8,000 ft (2,438 m) |
| Engines | 4x Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 |
| Units built | 7 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Martin 170 Mars starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Martin, the 170 Mars family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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