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Archived Tracker
Updates and Information
June 2012 update:
April 2012 update:
February 2012 update: January 2012 update: The Canadian Tracker owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage, RCN #1577, and located at the Hamilton, ONT will be put back into flying service after the organization found a sponsor to fund the restoration and operation. Thank you to Andrew Semon for the update. Trader 146045 added to data base with Photos 10-16-2011: Dan Serrato has provided photos of 146045 located at MCAS Beaufort, SC where it is apparently being used in fire training. See My Trader Photos page for Dan's photos. New Tracker Photos Added 7-7-2011: RCN number 1577 located at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has been added to My Tracker Photos page.
New Page Added 6-6-2011:
Brazil Traders - List of the Traders Brazil
purchased in 2010 along with photos of several of them arriving in Mesa, AZ November 2011 update: Tracer 148922 has been purchased by Juan Redick. 148922 is still located in the United Aeronautical Corp. yard in Tucson, AZ to the best of our knowledge. It would appear that Mr. Redick has purchased the aircraft and is gathering parts to restore and make it airworthy. Most of the parts needed would be located on the other 10 Tracers located at United Aeronautical as that is the world's largest supply and location of Grumman Tracers. See my page of photos of Tracers taken at United Aeronautical in May of 2010. Thanks to Dean for the information provided. United Aeronautical Tracers Photo Page Here is a link for 136536 as it is being being turned into a "work of art" and greenhouse in Philadelphia. What a travesty!! http://www.ydr.com/state/ci_19156554 Also for some reason it is described as a Tracker II, which is incorrect.
October 2011 update:
More information from Camilo in Brazil on the
Traders that the Brazilian Navy purchased from Davis-Monthan. Here is
his message:
"The Brazilian Navy and March Aviation Company
signed yesterday, Oct 20 2011, the contract for the
modernization/remotorization/reconfiguration of four (out of eight bought)
C-1A Traders to the Carrier-on-Board Delivery/Air-to-Air Refueling (COD/AAR)
KC-2 Turbo Trader standard.
The contract has a four years duration and the
first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in April 2014 and the fourth and
last in October 2015.
The Turbo Trader will be used on board Brazilian
Navy Aircraft Carrier A-12 Sao Paulo (ex-French Navy Foch).
Click on the link bellow to see an artistic
impression of the KC-2 in BN colors. I don't know if this is the official
paint scheme. Probably just what it is, i.e., an enthusiast artistic
impression based on BN paint scheme standards."
More on 146044 from owner Doug Goss: "As you can see, the fuselage and right wing are repaired and the right wing is now back on the airplane. The damaged left engine was run long enough to spread the wings after 8 long years. Work continues with the removal of the right engine and replacement of the right windshield. Our inventory of parts includes props, overhauled engines (these will need to be opened up and checked) and airframe pieces. With luck we hope to be flying in 2012." for photos of the progress see our Trader Photo Page. August 2011 update: Robert Rice has informed me that work is steadily progressing Trader 146044. Repairs have been made to the fuselage and the wings are scheduled to go back on the weekend of August 6, 2011. Plans are to have it back in the air in 2012. July 2011 update: I was at the location of where the nine Trackers had been stored in St. Augustine, FL and can unfortunately confirm that they are no longer there and have been scrapped, confirming what Steven Johnson notified of us in April was in the process of happening. The lot is for sale and the only thing left that would indicate the Trackers had been there are a few pieces of loose scrap that litters the ground. May 2011 update: Information provided by "Rootbeer" at Marsh Aviation in Mesa, AZ indicates the following Traders have been purchased by Brazil: 146024, 146025, 146026, 146027, 146028, 146031, 146057, 136763. Four are locate at Marsh: 146026, 146027, 146031 and 146057. These are under contract for conversion to Turbo Traders. April 2011 update: Trackers located at St. Augustine, FL are in the process of being scraped according to Steven Johnson. The nine airframes have been located in a small residential yard just north of the St. Augustine just west of US 1 since the early 1970s when they were moved there from the airport. Since that time they have been somewhat of an aviation attraction while at the same time providing spare parts for flyable S2F's. While the neighbors in the area are no doubt glad to see them leave it is always a sad day when any aircraft gets scrapped out. For photos of the aircraft go to My Tracker Photo Page. February 2011 update: Tracker 152827 has been positively identified at Brazilian Air Force Military Museum at Sao Carlos - Francisco Pereira Lopes January 2011 update: Wayne Griffith of the Aviation Heritage Society in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada has informed us that Tracker RCN # 1531 is undergoing a repainting in the Air Force Heritage Park at this location and should be completed in summer of 2011.
Simon Codd provided information that 133275 is still located at Mather Field in Sacramento, CA and was previously CDF Tanker 86.
We have added a 8 new pages under at the
United Aeronautical Corporation page on
this site has individual photos of all the airframes stored at its 60 acre
facility in Tucson, AZ. We have added CVS 47, the USS Philippine Sea to our CVS Aircraft Carrier page after being informed by Joe Dunegan that it served in the the anti-submarine role with Grumman Trackers. Also added is a link to Joe's excellent VS-37 website.
September 2010 update: Hello David, Maybe you have already seen this. Yesterday Flight Global site published that none of the Trader cells bought by the Brazilian Navy will be converted to the AEW role. Six will be modernized with four to be used for COD duty and two to in-flight refueling. For the AEW operations the Brazilian Navy expects to count on the four S-2G cells stored by the Uruguayan Navy. As I told you in my last message, a Brazilian Navy team is going to Uruguay to inspect these cells. There is no information about the engines that will be used for the conversion into Turbo Traders. It is believed that the chosen one will be Honeywell's TPE331 (T76). The C-1 cells will be inspected and placed into flight conditions in the USA and ferried to Brazil. Regarding the AEW radar, the discussions are between the Eliradar HEW-784 and Thales Searchwater 2000AEW. Best regards, Camilo
August 2010 update:
"Dear Sir,
On Aug/06/2010 the Brazilian Navy purchased 8 C-1A
cells from de US government. These cells will be modernized and transformed
into "Turbo-Traders". It is yet to be confirmed that 3 will be converted to
the AEW role, 2 will keep the COD role, one will be fitted for in-flight
refueling of the Brazilian Navy A-4s as well as COD, and two cells will be
used as spare parts source. The aircrafts will operate with the carrier wing
of Brazil's carrier Sao Paulo (former French Navy Foch) which is presently in
sea trials after a 5 year modernization and maintenance period.
Previous news mentioned that the BN was
negotiating with the Australian Navy to buy 5 of their retired S-2 Trackers.
These would be converted into Turbo-Trackers with Honeywell TPE 331-14GR
engines to be used for COD and AEW. But the news of the acquisition of the C-1
cells indicates that this deal may have been called off. The use of the C-1
cells seams more suitable for the conversion for AEW and COD due to the larger
volume of the cabin which results in more space to fit equipments and carry
more fuel.
Also the Brazilian Navy is sending a team to
inspect the S-2 Trackers of the Uruguayan Navy. It is said that Uruguay has a
good number of spare parts for their grounded S-2s. Brazil would trade the
spare parts for recovering into flight condition a Helibras Esquilo helicopter
of the Uruguayan Navy.
Regards,
Camilo "
Also we have received more photos and a two diagrams on the mystery Tracker on the Bottom of Guantanamo Bay from Chris Hileman. See: Guantanamo Bay Mystery Tracker for photos and info. Also there may be some interest in obtaining a couple of Trackers for fighting forest fires in Guatemala. These are being sough by a non government entity.
July 2010 update:
June 2010 update:
February
2010 update: David D Jackson - February 8, 2010
January 2010 update: David D Jackson - January 8, 2010
December
2009 update: Tracker 136536 airframe, minus engines, former CDF radial engine Tanker 100 and N436DF, went up for sale on Ebay in late November for $10,000 in Joppa, AL. This Tracker was last seen at CDF Mather Airport in Sacramento, CA in August of 2007. It must be quite a story on how it got to Alabama. The engines are being sold separately at $4,500 a piece. David D Jackson - December 6, 2009
September
2009 update: We now stand at 235 total S2F Tracker airframes that we have been able to find evidence of still in existence around the globe. When I first started this website in January of 2006 I was able to account for just over 100 airframes world wide. Every time I assume there can be no more around information such as I just got about the ones in Argentina surface and we add another one or two which keeps ratcheting up the count. David D Jackson - September 9, 2009
June 2009 update: David D Jackson - June 9, 2009
June 12 update: I have now added a
photo page for the (14) S2F Trackers in the storage yard at Marsh Aviation in
Mesa, AZ. During the photo editing I "discovered" one Tracker that I had
not yet included in my data base. This aircraft, 147531, is not registered
with the FAA even though it has an N number on it and no one has ever to my
knowledge published a photo of it on the web. Also it appears I have the
only web published current photo of 136729. A complete photo essay of the
Marsh Yard can be seen at: June 23 update: I have now completed the Cal Fire Photo page. Of the (23) Turbo Trackers that Cal Fire operates I was able to take photos of (19) of them. Several are in the maintenance hangar as the aircraft were still getting the annuals completed. In total during the trip I photographed the (19) Cal Fire Trackers, (14) Trackers at Marsh Aviation, ( 11) Trackers on display in (3) states, (4) Traders in (2) states, and one Tracer. Fifty-three total in 16 days of travel. See my Cal Fire Photo page at: Cal Fire Turbo Tracker Photo Page David D Jackson - June 23, 2009
136791:
Destroyed on October 16, 2012 near Skewentna, AK. Here are the photos
that I had in my Trader Photos page for her.
Trader 136790 "Miss Belle" during the USS Independence 1980 Mediterranean Cruise: Trader 136790 currently resides at the Grissom Aviation Museum in Peru, IN. Due to the courtesy of Ken Tomovick who flew "Miss Belle", we have some photos of her in service with the US Navy.
Trader 146045 at NAS Norfolk in 1981: 146045 is now a fire training hulk at MCAS Beaufort, SC. Photo Courtesy of Ken Tomovick.
Does anyone know the fate of 147643?:
Can anyone identify this Tracker?:
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