I feel pretty lucky

[Oatmeal Savage]

When I was a kid multi-engined prop driven aircraft were common. I feel lucky to live in a town that is the base for COULSON FLYING TANKERS. This company operates the worlds largest flying boats ever flown operationally. There are only two left in the world, Philippine Mars and Hawaii Mars. One flew over my house today and I still marvel at these wonders. How many folks get to see and hear four engined prop driven aircraft regularly?


Specifications (JRM-3 Mars)

Data from Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II[2]
General characteristics
Crew: four (with accommodations for a second relief crew)
Capacity: 133 troops, or 84 litter patients and 25 attendants
Payload: 32,000 lb (15,000 kg) of cargo, including up to seven jeeps
Length: 117 ft 3 in (35.74 m)
Wingspan: 200 ft 0 in (60.96 m)
Height: 38 ft 5 in (11.71 m)
Wing area: 3,686 ft² (342.4 m²)
Empty weight: 75,573 lb (34,279 kg)
Loaded weight: 90,000 lb (40,820 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 165,000 lb (74,800 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Wright R-3350-24WA Duplex Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engines, 2,500 hp (1,865 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 192 knots (221 mph, 356 km/h)
Range: 4,300 nautical miles (5,000 mi, 8,000 km)
Service ceiling: 14,600 ft (4,450 m)

[BEEDEE]

That is cool. Reminds me of growing up in Auckland New Zealand in the days when TEAL (forerunner of Air New Zealand) ran Solent flying boats around the Pacific. Their landing path into the Waitemata Harbor was right over my home at about 500 feet on final approach.

Brian

[Mr. MacDougall]

I was a Naval Aircrewman, and I always looked back to the days of the Navy's Flying Boats with more than a little jealousy. What would it have been like to fly on a PBY?

Thanks for sharing your photos!

[CactusJack]

I too grew up when muti-engine prop aircraft were the thing and I still love them, I am a big fan of the B-17 and some day hope to ride in one

[Jerry]

I've never flown on a multi engine military aircraft, but I am old enough to have flown on a 4 piston engine passenger aircraft. It was a Constellation which was still in service on the old Eastern Airlines Boston to Washington DC shuttle route. It was something to land, taxi to a stop and still be two stories up in the air.