Avgeekery.com
  • Military
    • Fighter Aircraft
    • Military Transport
  • Commercial
    • Commercial News
    • Ancient Airlines
  • General Aviation
    • Airshows
    • Space
    • Experimental
    • Drones
    • Vintage
  • Join Our Team
Avgeekery.com
  • Military
    • Fighter Aircraft
    • Military Transport
  • Commercial
    • Commercial News
    • Ancient Airlines
  • General Aviation
    • Airshows
    • Space
    • Experimental
    • Drones
    • Vintage
  • Join Our Team
112K
0
4K
  • Blog
  • Commercial News

Watch: Cal Fire S-2T Firefighting Trackers Are Busy Every Fire Season

  • August 8, 2018
  • No comments
  • 2 minute read
  • Bill Walton
By thomas hays from Stillwater, US (crown fire leona valleyUploaded by Matthewedwards) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Total
173
Shares
173
0
0

Born to hunt Soviet submarines, Grumman’s S-2 Tracker or Stoof has been adapted to do several jobs over the years. From the C-1A Trader COD to the Stoof with a Roof E-1 Tracer AEW platform and the ubiquitous US-2 utility transport, the aircraft has done everything asked of it. Nowadays a few Stoofs and CODs fly in civilian hands as warbirds. Over the years Trackers were also adapted for use as aerial firefighting tankers. Today, the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection or Cal Fire operates 23 turbine-powered S-2T aerial firefighting, or fire-hunting, tankers.

By thomas hays from Stillwater, US (crown fire leona valleyUploaded by Matthewedwards) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
During and since the 1970s Cal Fire and others operated Firecats, which were Trackers powered by the original Wright R-1820-82WA radial engines but modified with a raised cabin floor to fit a retardant tank in the bomb bay. Today’s S-2Ts are relatives of those first Tracker Tankers. All Tracker conversions removed the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission equipment and faired over the ventral radar housing (radome) and the tail-mounted magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) sensor and extending boom located under the rudder aft. The plumbing for hot loading the retardant tank is connects there now. These modifications removed about 3,300 pounds from the Tracker. There are no more radial engine-powered Trackers in firefighting service.

Old school S-2 Tracker Tanker. Image via Cal Fire

Built by Grumman Aerospace at their Bethpage plant on New York’s Long Island at least one generation ago, the S-2Ts were mostly S-2E or S-2G variants while operated by the US Navy. Cal Fire acquired the S-2 airframes in 1996 and Marsh Aviation in Arizona converted them to aerial firefighting tankers. The Turbine Trackers are faster than stock S-2s but their Garrett TPE331-14GR turbine engines only put out about 100 more horsepower each than the original Wright R-1820-82WA radial engines did. The S-2Ts are also usually crewed by a single pilot and can haul up to 1,200 gallons of retardant or water.

By Alan Radecki Akradecki [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
On 7 October 2014 at 1630 local time, 13-year veteran S-2T pilot Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt was killed when the aircraft he was flying, Tanker 81, struck trees and crashed while flying a retardant drop on the Dog Rock Fire near Yosemite National Park in California. The loss of the S-2T, Navy Bureau Number (BuNo) 152838 and registered as N449DF, left Cal Fire’s fleet of S-2Ts at 22 aircraft. A replacement S-2T, Tanker 79, has now entered service. The tanker tail number 81 was retired by Cal Fire in memory of Hunt, a former Navy P-3 Orion pilot and 20-plus year Reservist.

By thomas hays from Stillwater, US (crown fire leona valleyUploaded by Matthewedwards) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The video Load and Return was uploaded to YouTube by Alan Simmons.

The video Cal Fire Sonoma was uploaded to YouTube by Ed Whisenant. A Cal Fire Rockwell OV-10 Bronco makes an appearance in the video.

Total
173
Shares
Share 173
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Bill Walton
Bill Walton

Bill Walton is a life-long aviation enthusiast and expert in aircraft recognition. As a teenager Bill helped his engineer father build an award-winning T-18 homebuilt airplane in their Wisconsin basement. Bill is a freelance writer, an avid sailor, engineer, announcer, husband, father, uncle, mentor, coach, and Navy veteran. Bill lives north of Houston TX with his wife and son under the approach path to KDWH runway 17R, which means they get to look up at a lot of airplanes. A very good thing.

Related Topics
  • Cal Fire
  • Grumman Tracker Tanker
  • Marsh Aviation
  • S-2T
  • Tanker 79
  • Tanker 81
  • Turbine Tanker
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Commercial News

United Grounds 777 Subfleet After Engine Failure

  • Avgeekery
  • February 21, 2021
View Post
  • Airliners
  • Commercial News

United 777 Pilots Calmly Landed Jet After Catastrophic Engine Failure

  • Avgeekery
  • February 20, 2021
View Post
  • Ancient Airlines

Ancient Airlines: The Top Banana In The West

  • Avgeekery
  • January 30, 2021
View Post
  • Commercial News

What’s Up With a Winglet

  • Chris Turner
  • January 26, 2021
View Post
  • Commercial News

Eastern Airlines Shut Down 30 Years Ago Today

  • Avgeekery
  • January 18, 2021
View Post
  • Airliners
  • Commercial News

Pilot Report: My 737 MAX Simulator Ride

  • Rob Graves
  • January 16, 2021
View Post
  • Ancient Airlines

A Look Back To The Turbojet Era at Los Angeles’ LAX Airport

  • Alexander Sakovich
  • January 1, 2021
View Post
  • Blog

One Good Thing From 2020: Alaska Airlines Bans Emotional Support Animals

  • Avgeekery
  • December 30, 2020
Follow us on Instagram
avatar
avgeekery
Avgeekery
4K Followers
Short, stubby, and more modern looking.  The 'new-ish' United colors look pretty good on an Airbus A320 but make it look shorter.  What do you think? 66 4
No gear necessary where we’re going.  Can you name the plane? #avgeek #avgeekery #aviationdaily #avporn #instagramaviation #pilot #instaaviation #planespotting #aviators #instaplane #boeing #airbus #aviator #pilotlife #megaplane #airplanes #avgeeks #planes #airport #avnerd #airline #flying #aviation_lovers #flight #aviationlife #avgeek #airplanelovers #aviationlovers #airlines #aviationphotography #planelovers 110 9
Who is going flying this weekend?  Tell us where you’re headed.  #avgeekery #cirrus #sr22 #avgeek #privatepilot #atp #pilotlife #100dollarhamburger 51 0
Delta Air Lines A220-300 arrives at Austin Bergstrom International Airport after a flight from Atlanta.  While they are no Mad Dog, the 2-3 seating, modern cabin, and full size window in the bathroom make it pretty unique.  #a220 #airbusa220300 @delta #KAUS #austinspotters #avgeek #avgeekery @instaaviation @combat_learjet @instagramaviation 66 1
Follow
Avgeekery.com
  • Military
  • Commercial
  • General Aviation
  • Join Our Team
Avgeeks sharing our love of aviation.
Short, stubby, and more modern looking.  The 'new-ish' United colors look pretty good on an Airbus A320 but make it look shorter.  What do you think? 66 4
No gear necessary where we’re going.  Can you name the plane? #avgeek #avgeekery #aviationdaily #avporn #instagramaviation #pilot #instaaviation #planespotting #aviators #instaplane #boeing #airbus #aviator #pilotlife #megaplane #airplanes #avgeeks #planes #airport #avnerd #airline #flying #aviation_lovers #flight #aviationlife #avgeek #airplanelovers #aviationlovers #airlines #aviationphotography #planelovers 110 9
Who is going flying this weekend?  Tell us where you’re headed.  #avgeekery #cirrus #sr22 #avgeek #privatepilot #atp #pilotlife #100dollarhamburger 51 0
Delta Air Lines A220-300 arrives at Austin Bergstrom International Airport after a flight from Atlanta.  While they are no Mad Dog, the 2-3 seating, modern cabin, and full size window in the bathroom make it pretty unique.  #a220 #airbusa220300 @delta #KAUS #austinspotters #avgeek #avgeekery @instaaviation @combat_learjet @instagramaviation 66 1
Something special in the air. An @americanair Boeing 737 departs Austin Bergstrom International bound for DFW.  The 35 minute flight is just enough time to get to 24,000 feet before they descend back down.  Pilots check in with Fort Worth center, grab the latest weather, flick the seat belt sign off, put it back on then head back down.  #avgeek #avgeekery #boeing #boeing737 #737ng #americanairlines #kaus #austinbergstrom @aircrewlife @aastews  #instaaviation 89 0
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 turning off Runway 35R at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.  This photo was taken from the new observation area.  It's a great place to spot airplanes in the morning.  The setting sun makes photography a bit more challenging.  #KAUS #austinbergstromairport #avgeek #avgeekery @southwestair @ausairport @austinspotter @ausspotting @instaaviation @combat_learjet @swaramprat #boeing737 #winglets #pilotlife #crewlife #ausspotters #atxspotters 83 1

Input your search keywords and press Enter.