All language subtitles for Mighty.Planes.S01E02.Martin.Mars.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

[Narrator] It is among the
world's biggest water
bombers...

With 33 tons of
flame-killing payload.

[Man] When you get a big fire
on your hands,

this is the aircraft that
can get the job done.

[Narrator]
It's constantly on call

to battle flames in
the toughest conditions.

[Man] They don't call you

because there might be a fire
tomorrow,

it's called because there's
already something happening

really bad.

[Man 2] It's not for
the weak at heart.

[Narrator]
Now this Canadian plane

is on its most perilous
mission ever.

[Man] A good chunk of Mexico
is on fire.

[Man 2] It's a very dangerous
business.

[Narrator] It's up to the
mars to keep Mexico's
wilderness

from going up in smoke.

Early spring on Sproat lake,

Vancouver island,
British Columbia, Canada.

Home of Coulson's flying
tankers and the mars,

one of the world's largest
water bombers.

Coulson's mechanics
are hard at it.

After a long winter in
storage,

the mars needs to
get in the air today.

[Steve Kendall] You come to
work

and you prepare to
get dirty every day.

[Narrator] Fires are already
burning in the U.S. And
Mexico.

And that means business.

Every hour on the lake is
an hour off the pay clock.

The mars has fought fires
in California,

British Columbia
and across Canada.

So when the call comes,
aircraft and crew must be
ready to fly.

[Jim Messer]
Mars always looks good

bobbing around Sproat lake.

It's coming together.

[Narrator] Jim Messer,
operations manager for the
mars,

is focused on
preparing the plane

for the first test flight
of the season.

[Jim] Yeah, we're just really
getting geared up,

fire season in British
Columbia.

You always get the scramble
when you least expect it,

so just preparedness,
go through the checklist.

[Narrator] The air crew is
returning for the new season.

Everything looks good...

Until it isn't.

They've got an engine
problem.

[Eugene Hulak]
Everything's so old

that you don't know
where to start.

Is it wiring? Is it mechanical?

Is it an overhaul part
we just put on?

It's...

It keeps you thinking,
keeps you hopping on your toes.

The stressful part of the job
is being under the pressure

when the plane breaks,

when we're getting ready
to go somewhere.

[Narrator] Seven mars
seaplanes were built to haul
U.S. Troops

and cargo during World War
II.

By the late 1950's,

the flying boats were headed
for the scrap heap.

But a group of BC foresters
had an idea--

convert them into
water bombers.

The mars was reborn.

After more than five decades,
only two of the planes
remained.

It looked like their
firefighting days were over.

Then the mars found
another savior.

[Wayne Coulson] The first time
I saw the aircraft

was with my father when
I was about 10 years old.

Back then,
I just remember it being

one heck of a big aircraft.

[Narrator] In 2007,
BC entrepreneur Wayne Coulson

saw an opportunity

to export their capabilities
across the continent.

He upgraded one of the planes
and started promoting the
mars

for firefighting jobs
across north America.

With its advanced avionics
and firefighting technology,

there's no better weapon in
the battle against forest
fires.

[Wayne] These aircraft have
been here for 50-some odd
years,

they've done over 8,000 drops
on wildfires.

These things kill fire,
that's what they do.

[Narrator] The only mars
still flying measures 117
feet long

and its tail reaches
38 feet above the water.

Its 200-foot wingspan is
almost double that of a
Boeing 737.

Fully loaded, it tips the
scales at 165,000 pounds--

the same weight as
a space shuttle.

The maintenance crew
has spent an hour

sorting out the engine
problem.

[Roy Copeland]
with this little incident here,

just a simple thing,

a wire on an APU, vibration,
eventually the wire let go.

[Narrator] A simple thing,

but one that can keep them
grounded for days.

[Wayne] I know you've
got lots to do.

[Narrator] Wayne needs
his plane in the air,

because the mars has a gig.

[Wayne] Are you still going
to do southern California?

[Narrator] The call came
from Mexico.

Wildfires are scorching
a remote mountain region

near the Texas border.

The flames can't be reached

with conventional
firefighting equipment.

The only effective attack
is from the air.

[Jim] Watching those fires
for three weeks,

and sort of no progress,
it feels like, anyways,

from just reading the papers.

[Wayne] Yeah, I think they want
to bring the mars on.

So if we commit to that,

what kind of trouble could
we get ourselves into?

[Jim] We're probably, you know,

two or three days
from being ready.

[Narrator] But Mexico needs
the mars yesterday.

Wayne takes the contract.

Now it's up to Jim and his
team to deliver.

[Jim] You got to hurry up.
Get going.

[Narrator] The maintenance
crew goes into overdrive

to get the plane ready
for action.

And it's not just the plane
that must be prepared to fly.

Pilots Dev Salkeld and Peter
Killin are career airmen

who have flown everything
from tiny bush planes

to huge passenger jets.

[Peter Killin]
she looks pretty darn good.

Nice and clean.

All ready to go to work.

Control Ops.

[Dev Salkeld] They are stowed.

[Pete] Power forward.

[Narrator]
Despite their experience,

Dev and Pete must re-certify
each season.

[Dev] TSN locked.

[Pete] Changeover switch.

[Narrator] Before they can
bomb down to Mexico,

they'll need to take the mars
through some target practice

to make sure their skills
are razor sharp.

[Pete] It's serious flying.

And we make sure we know
the limits of the aircraft

and ourselves.

And we go out and practice
and get current

and get back to work.

[Dev] Probes and
door lights, green.

-[Pete] Dump doors?
-[Dev] Closed and green.

-[Pete] Flaps?
-[Dev] Are up on the left.

[Narrator] 25 feet behind
the flight deck,

engineers Roy Copeland
and Dave Millman

help keep the mars in the
air.

Typical of
World War II era planes,

the number of controls
and systems

would overwhelm the pilots.

[Pete] Pre-start checklist
is complete.

[Dave Millman] The pilots steer
it and control it in the air,

but we handle the power,
the props, the fuel, the oil,

all the fire warning,

anything like that is all done
from this station here.

[Dev] 1,100 on standby.

[Narrator] The engineer's
control system

is the same as it was in
1946.

Up front, Wayne's made sure
the cockpit avionics

are cutting edge.

[Roy] I sort of refer to it
as star wars up here

to raiders of the lost ark
in the back.

[Dave] Is she kicking?
There she goes.

Sister hook is stowed,
hatches secure.

[Dev] Okay, all set in the
back?

-[Dave] Turning four.
-[Man] Clear on four.

[Narrator] After a 20-minute
warm-up of the engines,

the mars is ready to
take to the skies.

[Pete] Props are up,
let's get going.

[Dev] And engineer, pilot,
full power, please.

[Narrator] Dev opens up
the throttle.

The mars accelerates
to 60 knots.

After another 30 seconds,

the plane has carved
a mile long wake.

And then, it's up and away.

[Pete] Takeoff 1-7.

[Dave] It's a rush, especially
when you're leaving the water,

and you can feel the power,
as you're shoving it up.

It's amazing.

[Dev] The first time I saw the
mars was about 20 years ago.

First thing I thought to myself
was, I want to fly that.

[Narrator] Despite
its modern flight deck,

the mars is old school.

There is no computerized
fly-by-wire system.

This bird is all mechanical,
and it flies that way.

[Pete] The feeling on the stick
for me,

it's like driving a car
without power steering.

It's really heavy.

It's not light on controls
at all.

[radio chatter]

[Narrator] The first test is
the water scooping system.

Dev and Pete
guide the mars in

holding 80 knots of airspeed

until they hit the water.

[Narrator] Airspeed dips
to 70 knots.

As the plane skims the water,

two probes extend from
the bottom of the fuselage

forcing water into
the holding tanks

at a rate of
one ton per second.

It takes just 30 seconds to
scoop up 7,200 gallons of
water.

Minutes later...

[Pete] Flaps are up.

Doors are green.

[Narrator] 22 doors on the
belly of the plane open.

[Dev] And three, two, one, now.

[Narrator] And those 33 tons
are out in less than three
seconds.

The mars is one step closer
to pouring water on the real
thing.

[Wayne] Down in Mexico, there's
so much wildfire down there,

they want us 20-day contract,
up eight hours a day,

until she's gone.

So that is going to be a real
challenge for the guys.

[Narrator] But the mars is
still a long way from being
ready.

Two rigorous test flights
remain,

and if there's any sign the
plane or its team aren't
ready,

Jim will have no choice but
to pull the plug on Mexico.

The mars and its crew
will be operating

over remote and
unforgiving terrain.

So it's back in the air to
practice worst-case
scenarios,

in case the unthinkable
happens.

[Dev] We'll be doing
a loss of hydraulics.

We'll be doing a simulated
engine failure on takeoff,

another engine failure
while we're doing a pickup.

Wonder if we should do
a broadcast on 23-zero.

[Pete] Just set it up.

[Dev] 35 engine.

[Narrator] Teamwork is key.

[Pete] Clock is set to zero,
20 seconds.

[Dev] Yeah, we're always
working in a dangerous
situation.

There's a lot of trust
put into the fellows

that you're working with.

What do you figure,
about 500 feet, Pete?

[Pete] 450.

Safety switch unlocked.

[Narrator] An hour later,
the mars touches down.

[Pete] The flight was good.

I haven't seen what the
engineers have for a snag
sheet,

but I don't think it's too big.

[Dev] No, Roy seemed
pretty happy.

[Pete] Yeah, yeah.

[Roy] It was tiddly boo,
no problems whatsoever,

ran as advertised.

Perfect.

[Narrator] The mars
is a step closer

to Mexico's raging wildfires.

But the flying boat needs
some accompaniment in the
air.

[Jim] Is the rest of the
machine pretty well there?

[Narrator] Jim turns
his attention

to another flying machine
drafted for the mission.

Loaded with sophisticated
navigation

and communications equipment,

this Sikorsky 76 helicopter
will act as a scout.

Its secret weapon--

a heat-sensing infrared
camera

that swivels like
a giant eyeball.

[Brian McDonald] This is what
takes it from

being a standard 76

to a great piece
of firefighting equipment.

[Narrator] It's the
Sikorsky's job to pinpoint
the flames

and direct the mars to the
drop.

[Jim] With the infrared camera,

you can find out where the
hotspots are, through the
smoke,

even if your visibility's low.

[Narrator] On Sproat lake,

Dev and Pete prepare
for a final scoop test.

[Dev] Okay,
we're just setting up,

we're on a downwind right now,

we're going to come around
this way,

and we're setting up
for a pickup.

[Narrator] If the giant plane
has an achilles' heel,

it's the probes.

A failure could bring
the drops to a halt.

[Pete] The probes can be
temperamental.

The mechanics would have had
them out, greased everything
up,

put new springs in them
where necessary.

Now we're going to go in

and just make sure everything's
going to work fine.

[Dev] Probes going down.

Okay, we're lining up
to test the drop.

Three, two, one, and bombs
away.

Yeah, it was all good.

He called it a bull's-eye.

[Narrator] Dev's next target
is a burning mountain range

half a continent away.

[Jim] There is a lot to do
to get out of here,

and it's the fire business.

They don't call you because
there might be a fire tomorrow.

It's called because

there's already something
happening really bad.

We know we can make a
difference down there,

so we've just got to
make that happen.

[Pete] Alright. Mexico bound.

[Jim] Mexico bound.

[Narrator] But the mars
wasn't built for speed,

maxing out at just
221 miles per hour.

It will take two days to fly
to the base camp in Texas.

From BC, they'll fly
1,300 miles south

to lake Elsinore, California,

one of the few locations
the plane can land to refuel.

After a brief rest, they'll
head up and over the rockies

and descend into lake Amistad
near del Rio, Texas.

[Jim] Ready to go?
Everyone know the mission?

[Narrator] While the mars and
the S76 get ready to fly,

a fleet of support trucks
rolls out.

The convoy includes a
command center, a fuel truck,

a mobile workshop,
crew quarters, boats,

everything the team
will need to operate

thousands of miles from home.

[Jim] It's always really
exciting to get the mars show

on the road.

It takes a lot to
pull it together.

But it's a really good start to
be able to roll everything out

and just get to work.

[Narrator] But just
before departure,

the mechanics find
another snag on the mars.

[Jim] Either the engine rpm
is not measuring right

or the prop rpm is
not measuring right.

It's got to be resolved now.

[Narrator] The plane's
radial engines are among

the most powerful ever
produced.

Two rows of nine cylinders
spin a counterweight

that drives the main crank.

At full throttle,

each massive engine
delivers 2,500 horsepower

to spin the props
17 revolutions per second.

A faulty rpm reading could
put the crew in danger,

giving the impression that
they have more power

than they actually do.

[Erik Ovalsen]
all we need is one snag,

and she's not going to
get off the water.

[Narrator] Once again
the maintenance team

is under the gun
to puzzle out a fix.

[Man] It's an awful lot of work
to get accomplished.

[Narrator] Two hours of
detective work...

Finally a suspect.

[Erik] We're just getting
the tach generator swapped out.

[Narrator] The tach generator
measures the engine's speed.

They install a new one and
ready the engine for another
test.

[Erik] The troubleshooting that
we did was quite extensive,

and we're crossing our fingers
on this one.

[Narrator] After a last
minute fix on the number
three engine,

the mars is just hours
from del Rio, Texas.

Jim and the support convoy
are already on the scene.

For the next 20 days,

home will be a spit of land
jutting into lake Amistad,

a reservoir straddling
the U.S.-Mexico border,

just 30 miles from
the closest fires.

[Jim] We certainly have our
challenges in front of us.

There's a lot of fire out
there,

so it's going to be
long, hard and hot.

I think we can make
a difference here,

but it's going to be
a tough run.

[Narrator] Lake Amistad is
not just home base for the
team,

it's also where the mars
will scoop water

to drop on the Mexican fires.

That water will be blended
with a fire retardant

called thermo-gel,

creating a mixture that stops
smoking timber from
rekindling.

Getting the right mixture
is critical.

[Jim] The right consistency of
thermo-gel is pretty important.

If you drop just water,
probably in these temps and
RHS,

half of it won't hit the
ground, it'll just evaporate.

[Narrator] Doug Sturlangson

is the team's
thermo-gel technician.

After mixing up
a few trial cocktails,

Doug finds his ratio--

one gallon of thermo-gel to
every 100 gallons of water.

[Doug Sturlangson]
Jim, you got a moment?

I ran some water quality
samples down there.

[Jim] This is out of Amistad?

[Doug] This is out of the lake,
yeah.

[Narrator] The mix feels
right...

[Jim] It's a little bit more
than webbing going on there.

[Narrator]
But they won't know for sure

until they put it to the
test.

[Jim] What we'll do, too,

is I'll try to get you
a sample out of the mars

in our first day or so
of operation,

and get you to confirm that
we're within the parameters.

[Doug] That'd be awesome.

[Narrator] With the mars just
a few minutes from lake
Amistad,

owner Wayne Coulson arrives.

[Wayne] Jimmy, you made 'er.

[Jim] Hey, you made 'er, buddy.

-[Wayne] How you doing?
-[Jim] Good, good.

[Narrator] Wayne has only
read about the fires

while Jim has seen them
firsthand.

[Jim] It's still a pretty
desperate situation, Wayne.

There's 200,000 hectares
burnt over there,

a lot of the fire is going
to be really tough.

The key concern is fresh
starts.

[Wayne] Yeah.

[Jim] There's some lightning
forecasted in

and that's going to be key

that it doesn't get
runaway on them.

[Narrator] Suddenly the mars
announces its arrival.

[Jim] When the mars
starts to approach,

it's pretty similar to
36 hells angels coming at you.

Welcome to lake Amistad,
there she is.

We'll get at her now,
get her on the water

and start getting her
out to work.

Welcome, guys, base camp Texas.

The Mexican government is in,
they're in a desperate spot,

they've got a lot of fire.

They don't have a lot of
control at this point.

I think they're going
to fly us hard.

So we're gonna have to
do some things different.

We're just going to have to
stay on top of the old girl,

hopefully we don't have
a whole lot of issues.

[Narrator] The mars has to be
ready at first light.

The pilots head to
the hotel to rest.

[Pete] Okay, well,
we'll see you.

[Jim] Okay.
Good night, guys.

[Narrator] But for
the maintenance crew,

this is the first of many
long, hard nights.

[Erik] Okay, Steve,
slow her down.

[Narrator] These guys may
never see smoke or fire,

but their job is crucial
to the fight.

[Jim] The night maintenance
guys are under a lot of
pressure

because they really do have to
have that aircraft ready for
us.

And they don't know
what they're up against

when they start
an engine inspection.

[Narrator] The flight
from British Columbia

has rattled a few parts
loose.

[Steve] Well, we've got a
missing distributor cap here,

so we have to put a new one on.

So repair that.

We've got a couple
accessory panels to fix.

[Erik] We really have to give

the engine a thorough
look-through

so it's ready to go
for firefighting.

[Narrator] By 6:00 a.m.,

the mars is tuned up
and ready for day one.

But Jim isn't happy with
what he sees in the sky.

[Jim] Kind of
a diabolical morning...

Lightning and thunder.

[Narrator] One bolt could
spark another fire,

and they've already got
enough to tackle.

[Jim] A fresh lightning strike

could become 10 hectares
or greater

in a matter of a few hours,

especially if it's in
a remote area, undiscovered.

[Narrator] If the mars runs
into trouble over the fire
zone,

there's only one safe place
to land--back at the
reservoir.

So the engineers insist on a
thorough two-hour inspection

of the plane before they fly.

[Dave] I was on 747s
for almost 12 years,

and you can do a pre-flight
on that in about 15 minutes.

So this is a little bit more
time consuming.

[Narrator] It's a long list
that includes checking the
hatches...

[Dave] No gauges back here.

[Narrator] Fluid levels...

Every lever, knob and dial,

along with the outside

and inside of the wings.

[Jim] Okay, morning, guys.

We've got our mission
for the day.

[Narrator] An hour from
departure,

pilots Dev and Pete arrive
and roll out the maps.

The first target is a
half-hour flight to the
southwest.

The Santa Rosa valley
is heavily treed

and difficult to access by
land.

Fires to the north and west
could engulf the entire
valley.

[Dave] What do you think
about this wind?

[Pete] I like it,
performance enhancing.

[Wayne] Anybody fighting fire,
it's a very dangerous business.

There's a lot of variables
that go on, second by second,

based on the temperature,
the winds.

So you've got to have
very experienced crews

that know what they're doing.

[Narrator] As the plane's
crew mount up,

helicopter pilot Peter Neilly
readies the Sikorsky S76--

the eyes of the mars.

[Peter Neilly] Long day.

[Narrator] The two aircraft
will be partners in this
battle,

with the Sikorsky
guiding the mars

as close to the flames
as possible...

But not too close.

[Peter] The most challenging
part is making sure

that the mars stays
out of trouble, basically,

and that you don't get the guys
in a bad situation

that could possibly get
them killed.

[Man on radio] Traffic in
the del Rio area,

helicopter Charlie foxtrot
India Romeo whiskey

will be departing del Rio,

left-hand turn climbing out
from lake Amistad.

[Narrator] Dev and Pete
prep the mars to follow.

[Dev] This is the center
of it all

where the extreme fires
are happening.

We're right in the thick of it.

Absolutely,
a good test for the crew,

a good test for the aircraft.

[Narrator] Once in the air,
they head south

and get their first look
at the enemy.

Wildfires rage across an area

three times the size
of New York city.

[Dev] When you can see
that many fires

and you see how many men

and equipment
they have working on it,

you know they're,
they're behind the eight ball.

[Jim] Right up in this little
inlet here on lake Amistad.

[Narrator] At base camp,
Jim follows the mars

with a satellite-based
flight tracking system.

Dev is right on course.

The mars will make
up to eight drops

of 7,200 gallons of water
each day.

[Dev] Just going to come over a
bit of a ridge here, engineer.

[Narrator] 33 tons of water--

that's what makes the mars
one powerful extinguisher.

Two other land-based water
bombers have been sent home.

Returning to an airfield
and reloading with water

was taking too long.

[Dev] Get the speed back
a little bit.

[Narrator] But that
efficiency comes at a steep
price.

The gas bill can run as high
as $3,000 an hour.

[Dev] We got one last ridge
to go over.

[Narrator] At base camp,

the mars fuel truck receives
its first load of aviation
gas.

It will get refilled
every two days.

[Klause Ridke] You know,
she can probably use up 3,500

burning at about 500 gallons
per hour, so.

And it's, that's a lot of fuel.

[Narrator] After eight drops
and hours of flying,

the mars is running on empty
and heading for lake Amistad.

[Dev] Lyl, go ahead.

[Jim] Yeah, Lyl, do you copy?

What's your ETA on the buoy?

[Dev] It'll probably be about
15 minutes from now, maybe 20.

[Jim] Alright, copy that.

Night crew in shortly
and we'll be standing by.

[Narrator] The temperature is
a sweltering 80 degrees,

but for the ground crew,
this is game time.

[Jim] It all goes in a flurry
when they land

and hit that water,
because we've got 10 hours

to get her turned around
and ready to go again.

[Narrator] Dev and Pete
are exhausted

after a day in the action.

Neither has any doubt,
this will be a long fight.

[Dev] Still lots of fire
up on the hill.

[Jim] Is there?

[Dev] Oh, there was one fire
there that was,

they weren't even fighting,
it was so bad.

[Narrator] With the pilots
released for the day,

the maintenance crew
gets to work.

But a brewing storm threatens
to blow their plans to bits.

[Jim] It's probably blowing
30 knots right now.

There's white caps
beating in here.

Just had a panel on the ground,
it blows off,

your tools blow off.

You know, we're almost at
the impossible level

to keep working
out there right now.

[Narrator] By nightfall,
the storm is still raging.

[Man] The wind's a challenge,

you don't want to be
dropping parts.

We're working always
above water.

You fall from
this height up here,

you're 20-30 feet
above the water.

It's not for the weak at heart.

[Narrator]
As midnight approaches,

the maintenance crew
is working hard

to get the mars in shape
for tomorrow's mission.

[Man] Get home before daylight
for a change.

[Narrator] But mother nature
is not cooperating.

[Erik] The biggest challenge
being the weather,

like right now,
it's starting to blow,

that's why I'm hanging
onto the ring cowl here,

make sure I don't fall off.

It's pretty hard to cope with.

[Narrator] As the storm ramps
up a notch, the team takes
cover.

[Man] Shelter.

[Erik] We've actually had
a federal weather warning

come over the radio, so heavy,
heavy, really heavy winds

and thunderstorms and stuff.

So we're staying
on the beach for now.

[Narrator] By 7:00 a.m.
The skies have cleared.

But after a night of
frustrating setbacks,

there is still maintenance
work to complete

when the flight crew
arrives at base.

Two hours behind schedule,

they're finally on board
and ready for round two.

[Dave] Second engineer's
back in his seat.

You're cleared for
your pre-run up checklist.

[Dev] Okay, we're just gonna
depart straight ahead

and we'll climb up
to 3 or 400 feet.

[Narrator] Last night's
lightning

strikes have sparked new
fires and rekindled some old
ones.

[Jim] The weather here has been
absolutely violent.

We've had fresh starts,

we've had restarts of fires
that were pretty well out.

So it's really thrown
some challenges at us.

[Pete] It's really dry out
there.

And fires are popping up
all over.

[Narrator] Today the mars
goes further south

where the overnight fires
threaten untouched valleys.

The plane will make
repeated drops,

with a ferry time of almost
40 minutes between scoops.

[Pete] Lyl, it's 76.

Yeah, Dev made the pass
through.

[Narrator] The Sikorsky is
already scooping the targets.

Chopper pilot Peter Neilly
has spotted some tricky
drops

for the mars.

[Pete] Slight right turn
on the outbound.

Make it 100 degrees.

[Narrator] This is where
their partnership really pays
off.

[Peter] Alright, saving the
data.

[Narrator]
In the Sikorsky's cabin,

Jim Thomasson uses an
infrared camera to see
through the smoke

and target the burning
heart of the fire.

[Jim Thomasson] Okay,
I have it on target right now.

Switching to infrared.

[Narrator] Then Peter relays
the coordinates to the mars.

[Peter] Lyl, 76.

[Dev] Roger.

[Peter] Yeah, Dev, it looks
like the inbound run

is going to be east, 0-9-0.

Target elevation, 5,400 feet.

[Dev] Okay, we're just getting
set up for the drop.

Line looks good.

We are armed for the salvo.

[Narrator] As the bomber
heads in for its run,

the chopper follows to make
sure the mars hit its
target.

[Jim] Here comes the load.

Beautiful shot.

Right on the fire line.

How'd it look for you, Pete?

[Peter] Yeah, it looked like
a real good shot,

looks like they got it all.

[Narrator] Another good day.

Plane and crew have
performed flawlessly.

The mars heads back to base
for a final scoop

to rinse out the tanks.

[Dev] Lima Yankee Lima, base.

[Narrator] But then,
trouble--

one of the probes
might be jammed.

[Dev] Yeah, we're inbound,

should be there in
three or four minutes.

[Narrator] This is not what
Jim wants to hear.

[Jim] What I can tell you
is I hate probe issues,

that's what I can tell you.

[Narrator] The maintenance
crew is on it

as soon as the mars
touches down.

[Jim] Okay, so for
benefit of the doubt,

we might be better off to pull
both probes out tonight,

while you're in there anyway.

[Eugene] Yeah,
it takes less time,

and then we can hopefully
solve the issue.

There may be issues with both,
who knows.

[Jim] I hope you find
something.

Stay safe out there.

[Eugene] You bet.

[Narrator] The fix-it crew
has only a few hours

of daylight left.

If they can't fix the probes,

operation Mexico
ends right here.

[Erik] Without these,
they do not pick up water,

which means we're not
putting out any fires,

and that's what
we're paid to do.

[Narrator] There's only one
way to solve this problem--

those 90-pound probes
have got to come out.

[Erik] Want me to do
the first part?

[Eugene] Sure, you're feeling
strong and you're younger.

[Erik] Ready?

[Eugene] Okay, we'll set it
on the edge there.

[Erik] Yeah, roger.

Done.

[Narrator] The good news--

everything looks normal.

The bad news--

everything looks normal.

[Narrator]
Everything seems a-okay.

But a closer look reveals the
waterproof lubricant is gone.

And that's likely caused a
jam.

Thousands of gallons of water
rush past the extended probes

on every scoop.

After so many scoops,

the friction of that water
has stripped the probes
clean.

[Erik] It's night and day right
here, aqua lube, perfectly dry.

I mean, nothing there.

We'll just have to lube that
up, hopefully that was our
issue.

We'll find that out.

[Narrator] It's another
grueling all-nighter

to get the plane ready
for daybreak.

[Man] We're tired, though,
long night.

[Erik] Yeah,
mission accomplished,

good to go for another day.

[Narrator] They finish up
and head to bed

just as the flight crew
arrives.

[Pete] Good morning.

[Jim] There's still a fair
amount of fire behavior.

[Narrator]
Inside the command truck,

Jim's on the radio with
fire officials in Mexico.

Another satisfied mars
customer.

[Jim] They're finding things
very effective

with our coverage level
on the ground.

I think it's going quite well.

[Dev] We've been averaging over
seven hours a day now,

and been making some good
progress on lots of fires.

[Pete] From all indications,

we're knocking down our
targets.

[Narrator] By now the easiest
targets have been dealt with.

What remains are
the most stubborn fires

in the most precarious
locations.

Today, the mars will navigate
over high peaks

and through steep valleys,

striking the hotspots
feeding surrounding fires.

After three successful drops

the plane is heading back to
the reservoir for another
scoop.

Engineer Roy leaves his post

to make a routine
mid-flight inspection...

[Roy] I'm going out
for a walk around.

[Narrator] ...and spots
a serious problem.

[Roy] Go ahead with a feather
on number four.

[Pete] Roger,
feather on number four.

[Narrator] Back at base...

[Dev] Uh, mars base, it's Lyl.

[Jim] Lyl, go for base.

[Narrator] Jim gets the call
he hoped would never come.

[Dev] We've had a problem
with number four engine,

we've had to shut it down.

It looked like
there was a fuel leak.

[Jim] Copy, inbound,
four to five minutes.

Three engine procedure
and cleared in to land.

[Narrator] This is where
preseason practice pays off--

landing with three engines
is part of the training.

[Jim] We're just going to
head out on the lake,

standby for the aircraft
to land.

[Narrator] As a safety
precaution,

Dev brings the plane down
well away from shore.

The mars is safely on the
lake.

But towing the 100,000-pound
craft to the anchor buoy

is dead slow.

Dev and Dave keep watch
out the hatches

while Roy assists Jim
in the boat.

[Jim] Not sure what
the problem is yet.

Some sort of fuel flow,
could be as simple as a line,

or a fitting, or something
a lot more serious.

[Narrator]
Once the plane's moored,

Jim climbs in
to get the full story.

[Dev] We had no indication
ourselves.

The engineers alerted to us.

One of them was doing
a walk around,

noticed either
some fuel or some oil

coming from number four engine.

[Narrator] With the
maintenance team still on
rest,

Jim's counting on
the flight crew

to get the plane
back in the game.

[Jim] We've already lost
some hours on the day,

and like a good Indy pit stop,

we're still looking to try to
scramble ourselves back out

and get over target.

[Narrator] At least
it's not a fuel leak.

[Pete] Got an oil leak.

[Narrator] But until they can
find the source of the
trouble,

the mars is still
on the sidelines.

After an hour
they find the cause--

a loose coupling on
an oil pressure transmitter.

[Pete] Just trying to put
the accessory cowls back on.

I think we're okay.

[Narrator] Access ladder
stowed, and they're ready to
fly.

[Jim] We think it's all good
now,

so we're gonna cast off the
buoy and just do some checks

as they taxi off.

But we're pretty confident
that it's all good.

[Narrator] The mars is
back on the job.

The 66-year-old plane turns
in and out of treacherous
canyons

as if it were newly minted.

But then Jim checks his
flight-tracking screen.

[Jim] Ahh.

Looks like it's coming in.

[Narrator] The mars is
inbound to base,

and there are still hours
of daylight left.

The plane is beyond
radio contact,

and Jim isn't feeling
optimistic.

[Jim] Dang.

I'm not sure what's going on.

My suspicions would say they've
had a stuck probe on pickup,

and therefore,
they're coming back.

[Narrator] Once again the
mars

is making an unscheduled
pit stop.

[Dev] Lyl, we'll be
landing shortly.

[Jim] Copy that.
Is that it for the day?

[Dev] Yeah, I guess so.

[Jim] Any issues
with the aircraft?

[Dev] No, the airplane's
working good.

[Jim] Woo-hoo!

[Narrator] Mexico's fire
officials called an early end

to the day.

[Jim] And 76 will be
inbound as well?

[Dev] You betcha.

[Jim] Copy that.
Standing by at the boat.

[Narrator] 16 days into
the 20-day contract,

the mars has extinguished
all its targets.

One of the world's largest
water bombers

has beaten back the worst
of Mexico's wildfires.

[Pete] It was laying down
pretty good.

You could tell
where we had been.

[Dev] Yeah, quite a difference
this afternoon

from this morning.

[Pete] Yeah, she performed
like a top.

[Jim] You got the flight sheet
there, Dev?

Yay. Thank you.

Just about 100,000 liters
dropped.

Four drops,
so 19-5 imperial gallons,

that's good numbers
for four drops.

That'll have an impact for
sure.

[Narrator] Until further
notice, the mars is on
standby.

That gives Wayne Coulson
a chance to offer

one aviation enthusiast the
ultimate flying experience.

[Rod Lewis] That'll wake you
up.

[Jim] That wakes you up
every time.

[Narrator] One of Wayne's
pet projects

is to offer select pilots
with a passion for the mars

a chance to fly it.

[Rod] You know the 3350s
that we operate

are in sea furies
or the rare bear.

[Narrator] Texas oilman
and billionaire Rod Lewis

is a pilot and a collector
of vintage aircraft.

Based in San Antonio, he
made the trip out to del Rio

as soon as he heard there
might be a chance to fly.

[Dev] Hi, Rod, welcome aboard
the martin mars.

-[Rod] How are you doing?
-[Dev] Yeah.

-[Rod] One awesome airplane.
-[Dev] Yeah, thank you.

[Rod] Unbelievable,
unbelievable.

[Wayne] The mars has done
a really good job.

And it's great to have someone
like Rod Lewis join us

as a aviation enthusiast
to come and fly the mars

before we take her
back home to BC.

[radio chatter]

[Dev] Roger.

[Narrator] Of the seven
mars seaplanes built,

this is the only one
still flying.

[Rod] Could I have a little
friction, please?

[Dev] Roger.

[Narrator]
Piloting the mars puts Rod

among a select group
of aviators.

[Wayne] Well,
how the hell was that?

[Rod] Unbelievable.

[Wayne] Yeah.

It gives a new meaning
to the gentle giant.

[Rod] Oh, yeah.
Unbelievable, unbelievable.

You've got a hell of a team.

[Wayne] Oh, thank you.
Yeah, they're great people.

[Rod] Hell of a machine.

[Wayne] Yeah.

[Narrator]
And a hell of a mission.

Dev and Jim can
look back with pride

on what's been accomplished.

[Dev] We've been working
many days here now.

So, and we are seeing
some progress.

Fires are starting to lay down,
and it's looking good,

so hopefully they're going to
send us home pretty soon.

[Jim] It's been a long, hard
grind, but we're there.

You know, we had some
great missions,

lots of adverse weather,

wind and lightning
that slowed us down,

but the old girl ran great.

Most fires are under control,
the ground crews are in now.

Guys are pretty beat, time to
pack up, time to head her out.

[Narrator] 105 hours of
flying time.

16 consecutive days.

Half a million gallons
dropped.

Down time?

Just three hours.

[Wayne] We could take this
airplane anyplace on the planet

and I would not be concerned

that we would miss
a day of work.

These guys are
absolutely excellent,

they love the airplane,
and they love the job.

[Narrator] At last
it's time to head home.

[Jim] Alright,
fuel's coming at you, bob,

your go-home fuel load.

This one will take you back,
back up to BC.

[Narrator] They won't have
long to rest.

Within days, the mars and
her crew will be back at it,

battling blazes in the
forests of British Columbia.

As it swoops low
over lake Amistad,

Pete and the crew
can't help wondering

how many more missions
the mars has in her.

[Pete] Well, the airplane's
66 years old.

It's probably going to end up
in a museum one day.

I hate to see it retire,

but you know,
when it goes for its rest,

it'll be well earned.

[Narrator] Until that day,

the mighty mars will
keep on fighting fires

like no other aircraft can.