BUCKEYE, Ariz. — The Philippine Mars, a Martin JRM Mars flying boat, made a stop at Buckeye Municipal Airport yesterday as it continues its ground journey to the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Ariz.

A Look Back at the Philippine Mars:

• 1942–1947: Built during World War II, the Martin JRM Mars flying boats were designed to transport cargo between Hawaii and Pacific islands for the U.S. Navy.
• 1950s: After the war, the fleet supported the Korean War with medical and cargo flights between Hawaii and California.
• 1956: The aircraft were decommissioned from military service.
• 1958: Four surviving aircraft were sold to Canadian timber companies and converted into the world’s largest waterbombers, each capable of dropping 7,200 gallons of water to battle wildfires.
• 2007: Coulson Aviation purchased two of the remaining aircraft — the Hawaii Mars and the Philippine Mars — launching their fixed-wing aerial firefighting operations.
• April 2024: Coulson announced that the Hawaii Mars will go to the BC Aviation Museum in British Columbia and the Philippine Mars will be preserved at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.
• Yesterday: The aircraft, now transported in sections, stopped in Buckeye, giving our community a rare up-close look at one of aviation’s true giants. Only two Martin Mars aircraft remain today.