Kelowna owes a lot to the Martin Mars water bombers, which played a huge role in fighting back the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park forest fire.
And now there is a fight going on over the future of the last two majestic aircraft.
The Okanagan Mountain fire destroyed 238 homes and burned through 25,900 hectares. And it's fair to say those numbers could have been much higher if it weren't for the two massive aircraft continuously dumping water on the blaze.
The Martin Mars flying boats were built in the 1940s for the U.S. Navy and served during the Second World War as long-range patrol craft and transports. It was the largest Allied flying boat to enter production, and only seven were ever built.
Now, only two remain – the Philippine Mars and Hawaiian Mars.
After the war, the surviving aircraft were converted for civilian use and were operated for decades by a consortium of B.C. forest companies as water bombers.
The last two were purchased in 2007 by Coulson Flying Tankers, based out of Port Alberni. But they haven't been contracted to fight forest fires by the provincial government the last few years, as it has moved to using the smaller, more modern Conair fleet.
Now owner Wayne Coulson wants to move one of the bombers, the Philippine Mars, to a museum in Florida. In return, Coulson will receive some smaller Hercules aircraft to be retrofitted as water bombers and other vintage warbirds “that need some work,” according to Coulson.
The Canadian federal government has objected to the trade, however, on grounds the bomber is a "cultural icon" under the Canadian Cultural Property Export Control List.
“We have a process in place to protect the export and import of cultural property,” said Marisa Monnin, director of communications for Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover. “We will let the process take its course.”
While Monnin said she can't comment on specific cases, legislation states that “any item that, regardless of its place of origin, may be considered important from an archaeological, prehistorical, historical, artistic or scientific perspective can be considered cultural property.”
Coulson said at this point the dispute is between the government's lawyers and his lawyers, but he has plans to move the plane at the end of the summer.
“We're moving the airplane late August or early September,” Coulson said.
“I don't know what (the government) can do. I guess they could probably arrest the pilots. They don't own it. I don't know if there's a law in Canada that lets someone come and take someone's property or not.”
Coulson has repainted the bomber to its original navy blue, making it look original for its museum debut. The trade plans with the museum have been in the works for five years, Coulson added.
Meanwhile, Coulson has been attempting to do some horse trading with Ottawa over the second Mars bomber.
There have been talks about the company trading that aircraft for an unspecified number of surplus Canadian military Hercules planes.