A blown cylinder was determined to have caused a problem with one of the Philippine Mars aircraft’s engines that forced its flight to an American museum to be aborted on Sunday.
The huge plane was flying between Victoria and Seattle, en route to its new home at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, when it had to turn around and land in Patricia Bay for repairs.
The cylinder issue is common with the Second World War-vintage Martin Mars planes, said Wayne Coulson, chief executive of Port Alberni-based plane owner Coulson Aviation.
“It’s nothing major that we’re seeing in the motor right now.”
He said a test flight could be done Wednesday, to determine when the large aircraft can take off again for Arizona.
Once it reaches the area, it will be disassembled and trucked to the museum.
The Philippine Mars is one of four Martin Mars that were converted from patrol and transport planes for the United States Navy to water bombers used to fight fires in sa国际传媒 for over 50 years.
Another of the planes, the Hawaii Mars, was flown to the capital region from Sproat Lake near Port Alberni in August to become a permanent exhibit at the sa国际传媒 Aviation Museum.
Just seven Martin Mars aircraft were made by the Glenn L. Martin Company and used by the U.S. navy for ocean patrol and long-range transport during the Second World War.
They were also used for medical transports during the Korean War.
The planes were all named after Pacific islands.
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