The last flight of the Phillipine Mars

The Philippine Mars is one of the last two Martin Flying Boats of WW2. It isn't a plane designed to land on water or a boat intended to fly. One of only four of its kind, it served in WW2 as a troop transport before being used to fight forest fires. This thing is so big that it can hold 42,000 pounds of water in auxiliary tanks under each wing.
The largest Allied Aircraft of WW2, these behemoths have faded from public memory. One has never been used in a Hollywood movie, and they do not participate in air shows.
Most people are familiar with the Catalina Flying boat, as they were made in much larger numbers and have been in many films. The Catalina is roughly a third the size of the Philippines.
Several weeks ago, it started it's last journey. Unable to land on dry land, it was flown from British Columbia to a lake south of Phoenix, where it was partially disassembled and driven by truck to the Pima Air and Space Museum. The largest part took six days to be trucked across Pima County, and it took a truly byzantine route as no one route could accommodate the size of this thing. I've only seen it unassembled, but it could swallow a few 737s and have room for dessert.
The Pima volunteers will restore it painstakingly and should be on display next spring.