Martin JRM Mars Flying Boat

Commercial Projects of 1944
American Aerospace Archive 1
By Jared A. Zichek
MagCloud, ©2008
Softbound, 34 Pages

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

A new publication on the market, the first edition of American Aerospace Archive examines one of the largest flying boats ever built, the Martin Mars. While only four were actually produced, the potential for the aircraft to carry large amounts great distances led several to consider the aircraft for civilian usage. Its range lent itself well to trans-Pacific flights, while its capacity and two-deck design would open up great cargo and passenger opportunities, turning the plane into a “flying hotel.” Unfortunately, civilian operators in the post-war years opted for land-based aircraft and shifted focus towards high volume, high cycle travel, rather than the more luxurious style offered by the commercial Mars.

Following a brief introduction to the commercial concept for the Martin Mars, the rest of this publication provides period drawings and schematics illustrating the proposals presented by Martin. These include a ‘De Luxe Sleeper’ variant, with convertible seats/beds, a Passenger-Day variant with seating for up to 105 passengers, a Passenger-Cargo variant that utilized much of the lower deck for cargo, and a full Cargo variant, with 6,800 cubic feet of storage. In addition to these variants, all of which are documented with scrap views, cutaways, and floor plans, there is also information on terminal designs, factory production, and performance information.

Given the great potential that the Martin Mars would have had over other designs at the time, it is a bit disappointing that these commercial variants did not see the light of day. While they may not have reached production, they are now documented for posterity in this book. My thanks to MagCloud for the review copy.