Grumman Tracker S2F-1, converted to US-2B, 136427, "The Iron Lady",  was owned by the Webmaster from 2000-2004 dba The Tracker Air Group.  Unfortunately I was not making the progress in getting the aircraft back in the air as I had originally hoped when I purchased it from the Museum of Wings and Things in 2000.  Therefore I thought it in the best interest of the aircraft sell it to someone who could make it airworthy again and get it back in the air.  This did happen and in September of 2005 136427 flew to her new home in Arlington, Washington.   As I was one of the original members of the Museum and one of the two members that went to Santa Monica in 1996 to bring it back to Indiana, I have more photos to post as this web site progresses.

This is how Bureau Number 136427 looked from 1978, when she entered the storage and disposal yard at Davis-Monthan AFB, just east of Tuscan, AZ,  until she was purchased and removed in 1995 by Airplane Sales International Corp.  Accepted by the US Navy on 21Dec55 as a S2F-1 Tracker from The Grumman Aircraft Company, she served with various commands until 1978, when she was flown to Davis-Monthan and placed in storage.  Aircraft that go to the Disposal Center are cocooned as shown above to protect the aircraft from the elements. 

Although the thousands of aircraft at the Storage Yard may have no further use to the US military, they are put in storage and not destroyed immediately for three main reasons.  They can be a source of spare parts for the same type still in service with the US or foreign nations, they may need to be put back in service if a national emergency results in the need for that type aircraft, or they can after a number of years be sold to foreign nations, other government agencies, or private individuals.  Trackers have been sold to the California Dept. of Forestry to be used as fire bombers, and have been sold to private companies, which then make the aircraft airworthy, and then resell to private individuals, and organizations, as was the case for "The Iron Lady".

In 1996, Bureau Number 136427, now registered as civilian aircraft N8112A was purchased by The Museum of Wings & Things in Santa Monica, CA on April 29.  From 1996 until July of 1999 The Tracker was able to fly out to the air shows listed below to represent Naval Aviation history to the spectators at these events.  The Aircraft was then sold to David Jackson dba as The Tracker Air Group, who then sold her to Abbatare of Arlington, WA in 2004.

The interior is in the US-2B configuration which provides considerably more room for the crew members going to air shows and other events.  From the military history shown below, "The Iron Lady"  was converted in 1966 to a US-2B, which removed the anti-submarine warfare equipment.  The interior electronic gear was replaced the with seating for five passengers, making her into a utility aircraft.
 

136427 preparing to start at Pope AFB

Navy Bureau # 136427
Year built: December 1955
FAA Registry N8112A, after 1995

Military and civilian record of “The Iron Lady”
Accepted     21 Dec 1955 as an S2F-1(To learn more about size, performance, weapons, and mission of the the S2F-1, go to Tracker Basics)
VS-30 Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA     20 Jan 1956
 Aboard Wasp (CVS-18)      09 Aug 1957
VS-30 Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA     28 Feb 1958
Naval Air Reserve Training, Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA  21 Aug 1959
VS-935 Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA    06 Oct 1961
Naval Air Reserve Training, Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA  02 Jul 1962
Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA      01 Jul 1965
Converted to US-2B @ NAS Pensacola, FL     29 Mar 1966
Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA      20 Jun 1966
Naval Air Facility Washington, Andrews Air Force Base, MD  27 Jul 1971
Naval Air Station Lakehurst, NJ      14 May 1973
NAEC Naval Air Station Lakehurst, NJ     06 Jul 1977
MASDC Davis Monthan Air Force Base Tucson, AZ   21 Jul 1978
Stricken         18 Apr 1982
Purchased by Airplane Sales International Corp.    28 May 1995
Purchased by The Museum of Wings & Things    29 Apr 1996
Purchased by David Jackson dba The Tracker Air Group 25 Jul 2000
Purchased by Abbatare 4 Jun 2004