The Martin Mars and My
Experiences with this Giant Flying Boat

   
  It all began for me one November day in 1948 while I was sitting at the desk of one of my Link trainers in Tsing Tao, China. I didn’t know at the time, but I was about to fly on the MARTIN MARS, the largest operational flying boat in the
world.
     I said "my Link trainers" because I had been instructing the pilots of the Marine Corps Air Base in Tsing Tao, China, for the better part of two years. These were three of the latest model Links, the Model 45. Link is the absolute first name in flight
simulators.
     I had been working them alone for most of those two years. At first a Tech Sergeant was there with me. He was almost at the end of his overseas assignment and about two weeks after I arrived, he was sent back to the
states.
     When he departed, I became the private in charge of the department. Normally, a non-commissioned officer, such as Tech. Sgt., is in charge of a department, the NCO-IC. After his departure, I was the PVT-IC.The Links came under the command of base operations and the Major told me that I was to answer directly to him, not even to the squadron Sergeant
Major.
     The Link shack was erected inside one of the old wooden hangars that were built by the Japanese during WWII. The shack was about 60-feet long, 20-feet wide and air conditioned to keep the trainers at a constant temperature. It was built by the Seabees when the Marines occupied the
base.
     The hangar doors for that bay were never opened and it was always darkened inside. When outside the Link shack, looking upward at the hangar roof, one could see light streaming through the bullet holes that were left by the Flying Tigers in their Curtiss P-40s during their strafing
raids.
     Being the only operator, I found it necessary to connect all of the trainers together so that I could observe and communicate with each trainer from any
desk.
     I was bent over one of the desks watching intently while the Marine pilot was working on the problem that I had assigned. All was going well until
. . . .