Hawaii
Historic B.C. water bomber completes its final flight | CBC News
Thousands gathered at Patricia Bay Park on Vancouver Island north of Victoria on Sunday to witness the final landing of the historic Hawaii Martin Mars, a legendary aircraft that fought wildfires in B.C. for more than 50 years.
The massive aircraft, with a capacity to carry more than 27,000 litres of water, departed from its longtime base at Sproat Lake in Port Alberni and landed in Saanich Inlet, before heading to its new home at the B.C. Aviation Museum.
Nine Canadian Forces Snowbirds jets also accompanied the water bomber in its last journey, passing over a number of communities en route to its final destination.
The Snowbirds bid farewell to the well known aircraft with a non-aerobatic display, drawing cheers from onlookers below.
“It’s kind of sad that it’s the end of the story,” said Peter Killin, a longtime pilot who flew the Hawaii Martin Mars’ for the last time, along with Harbour Air’s Rick Matthews on Sunday.
Killin, who has logged more than 1,000 hours of flying time with the water bomber, said he was introduced to the aircraft back in 2000 by Matthews and was then hired a year later to pilot the Mars and help fight forest fires.
“It’s a new chapter coming [for the aircraft]…it’s going to be good, people will get to see it.” he added.
Preserving history for future
Earlier this year, Coulson Aviation, the company that purchased the Hawaii Martin Mars in 2007, announced it is donating the aircraft to the B.C. Aviation Museum, calling it a “grand ending to a great history.”
“It’s bittersweet to say goodbye,” Wayne Coulson, CEO of Coulson Aviation told CBC News.
Richard Mosdell from the B.C. Aviation Museum speaks about the legacy of the plane, which was first brought to B.C. in the 1950s to fight wildfires. It was last used in 2015.
The water bomber will become the centrepiece of a new wildfire exhibition at the B.C. Aviation Museum, in North Saanich, starting September 28.
Steve Nichol, president of the museum, said it will be “the jewel in the crown” of the museum’s firefighting display.
“This is a once in a lifetime event,” he said. “We’re going to have it open every day for the public, just to see what it was like to be inside the Martian Mars. I think people will be fascinated by it.”
The province says it has provided $250,000 to protect and preserve the aircraft as part of the exhibition.
Richard Mosdell, the ‘Save the Mars’ project lead for the museum, said he still remembers the deep rumble of the aircraft echoing through the valleys as it soared overhead, battling forest fires.
“That deep, throaty old piston engine sound that you really felt in your chest,” he said during an interview with CBC’s On The Coast.
He says the Mars’ history is rich and varied and should be preserved for future generations to observe and appreciate.
‘A true aviation icon’
The Hawaii Mars was one of six prototypes produced by the U.S. navy in the 1940s for large-scale transport between the West Coast and Hawaii. But when aviation technology progressed, the planes were retired and put up for auction.
According to the province, the Mars was later converted to serve as the largest air ambulance during the Korean War, capable of carrying more than 120 soldiers and medical personnel in one trip.
In 1958, B.C.’s forest industry purchased four Mars and repurposed them into wildfire-fighting machines.
“It just has a grand history and it is a true aviation icon,” Coulson said.
Over its operational life, the water bomber dropped about 190 million litres of water on wildfires, a feat Coulson claims makes it the most effective firefighting aircraft in history.
The aviation company retired the water bomber in 2015, and it has since remained at the company’s home base on Sproat Lake in Port Alberni.
Coulson says the evolution of aviation and firefighting technology led to the planes’ demise.
“[But] there will never be a better firefighting aircraft, no matter what anybody says,” he said.
The first snow of the season covered Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Summit on Monday. Footage captured by Derek Petrowski shows snow falling as crews cleared the roads surrounding the summit.
MAUNA KEA, HI—An early-season snowstorm blasted the Northeast this week, dropping a foot of snow in some areas. This was the Northeast region’s first snowstorm of the season, but Hawaii has already had a few encounters with fresh powder this fall.
Winter weather arrived right on time at Hawaii’s Mauna Kea summit, home to astronomy observatory facilities from around the world. According to the Maunakea Visitor Information Station, this year, the first snow of the season fell at the 14,000-foot summit on Oct. 28.
WHICH IS THE SNOWIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR?
Unlike the tropical climate at lower elevations on the Big Island, Mauna Kea’s elevation means it experiences a different climate, including freezing temperatures and significant snowfall.
The first snow of the season covered Hawaii’s Mauna Kea Summit on Monday, October 28, footage shows.
(Maunakea Visitor Information Station / FOX Weather)
Hawaii’s wet season runs from October through April, during which snow is a familiar sight at the summit of Mauna Kea.
Back on the mainland, a winter storm arrived a week ahead of Thanksgiving and, according to the FOX Forecast Center, dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of Upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania.
Steady snowfall swept across parts of central Pennsylvania on Friday amid a winter storm warning in the region. This footage was taken by meteorology student Matthew Howard in State College. Multiple Winter Storm Warnings were issued in the region until Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, New York City has yet to see snow. But it’s still early for the Big Apple. The first measurable snow of one inch or more in New York City happens on average around Dec. 13.
No. 4 Auburn and No. 5 Iowa State will meet Monday in the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii, in a clash of college basketball powers that has more the look of a tournament championship game than that of a first-round contest.
While the high-level matchup is unusual for the opening round, it does give the Tigers and Cyclones a chance to see how they stack up among the NCAA elite.
And although Iowa State (3-0) has hammered three mid-major teams, Auburn (4-0) already owns a measuring-stick victory at then-No. 4 Houston on Nov. 9.
Now comes more challenging competition as the tournament includes No. 2 UConn and No. 10 North Carolina, as well as three other teams that arrive in Maui with undefeated records — Memphis, Colorado and Dayton.
“The next four games are against Elite 8-caliber teams,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said, referring to the tournament games as well as including a Dec. 4 date at Duke. “It’ll be a true test and a true measure of where we’re at.”
The Tigers are currently at a good place. In addition to their win over Houston, they’ve beaten up on three mid-majors.
Johni Broome made 13 of 17 shots to finish with 30 points in Auburn’s 102-69 victory over North Alabama on Monday. He also pulled down 17 rebounds, while Dylan Cardwell made 5 of 6 shots to finish with 12 points.
“Our bigs shot an incredible percentage,” Pearl said. “Johni and Dylan are two of the best centers in college basketball and we’ve got both of them.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the Tigers’ starters scored in double figures. Denver Jones delivered 13 points and nine assists in the win.
Playing three games in three days will be a big change for Iowa State, which has been one of the least active teams in Division I. Its only three games have come on the three Mondays in November.
“We’ve had these experiences in years past. Last year it didn’t go as well,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said, referring to last November when the Cyclones lost two of three games in the ESPN Events Invitational.
“Yes, you want to win every game, but last year we had a great season and we weren’t as good at this point,” Otzelberger said of his team, which went 29-8 and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
With five double-digit scorers, the Cyclones have shown balance, led by backcourt players Curtis Jones (15 points per game), Tamin Lipsey (13.7) and Keshon Gilbert (12.3).
St. Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson recorded his first double-double for his new team by collecting 16 points and 10 rebounds in Iowa State’s 87-52 victory over IU Indianapolis last Monday. He made all seven of his shots from the floor.
On Monday night, the Cyclones face a team that is “playing as well or better than anyone in the country,” Otzelberger said.
“They’re a tremendous team. They pressure defensively, really get after you. They’ve got tremendous depth. They try to wear you down,” Otzelberger said. “In the Houston game, Houston had the lead early and that’s what happened.”
–Field Level Media
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A bill aimed at cracking down on vacant homes on Oahu by increasing taxes is expected to face a final vote at the Honolulu City Council in the coming weeks.
It comes after the proposal has been revised several times because of questions and concerns from the community.
Bill 46 would add an incremental 3% yearly tax for vacant dwellings on a property that would be rolled out over three years.
Some owners could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars more in property taxes, but a recent change to the measure adds exemptions for Hawaii residents.
The 2020 U.S. Census reported roughly 35,000 unoccupied housing units on Oahu.
Council Chair Tommy Waters, who introduced the bill, said it’s meant to get people to rent out or otherwise free up their unused units.
Under the measure’s current language, the higher tax would be placed on homes that are unoccupied for six months.
“We’re trying to get creative to figure out how we can get our local people to stay here. We can’t build our way out of this solution,” said Waters.
This week, the council’s budget committee narrowly passed the bill in a 3 to 2 vote after making several changes.
One change would allow Hawaii residents to request an exemption for a second home they own.
To reduce administrative costs that would likely come with a new tax, the bill proposed it to operate under the already running property tax system by adding a new class.
There’s also changes to the bill’s language to comply with both with state and federal law to try and avoid potential lawsuits.
But still some residents still believe it will do more harm than good.
“Trying to enforce this and make sure that it’s equitable is going to be a nightmare,” said Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa.
“My other concern about this is the landlords, they obviously have a stake in this but if they miss a deadline, it is no skin on their backs you know why? Because they will increase the rent for people like me and other families who cannot afford a home,” she added.
But younger constituents seem to support the proposal.
“This is not about punishing anyone. It is about making housing accessible to the people who call Hawaii their home,” said one testifier.
Bill 46 could still undergo even more revisions.
The bill is expected to go for a final vote on December 11, where public input will also be taken.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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