RAN Grumman Tracker 844 test flight 24 10 19 

I flew in S2-D/E’s as aircrew #3 seat for three years in ‘Nam with 103 arrested landings and 63 combat sorties. Yes, I’m bragging, but I loved that plane and the sound of those R1820’s turning up. Watching this video brought back so many memories! Thank you!

A friend of mine was a plane captain in the Navy back in the 70's, and he said he was always busy 🐒🐒😎 Love ya Dennis 👍🇺🇸

A beautiful plane ! Glad to see it flying againg !!

Ok, it's nice to see an old S-2 again. From Jan 1967 thru Sept. 1969 I was an AO attached to VS 41, in San Diego. The old girls were mighty tired by then, but were still the front line in carrier born sub hunting. It goes to show how well Grumman built airplanes back then. This basic airframe was used as the base for the C-1 Trader and E-1 Tracer (?) and a few as tow target duty. I got to see them all at North Island. Boy does this bring back memories. ;-)

I flew these great planes 1965-69. Started with the S2f then the S2d and finally the S2e model. I sat in both the right and left seats and operated the julie & jezebel equip on right and the radar, ecm, trail and mad gear on the left seat. The sound the S2 makes is unforgettable, no being sneaky for this warbird. Love this a/c.

Was a Navy brat at NAS Corpus Christi early to mid 60s and got used to the S2Fs flying day and night. Loved to hear them flying. I often say that when I win the lottery, I'm gonna get me one. Beautiful plane. Thanks for sharing.

I was catapult crew on cvs 21 .launched many of these ,love their engine sound

She's a beauty! Great sound too. Thanks for sharing, appreciate it a lot. Greets from the Netherlands 🌷, T.

Gorgeous restoration. My dad, Capt. T.H. Hybiske, USN logged thousands of hours in the Stoof. He would have been overwhelmed upon seeing this video.

So great to see this. My dad spent a lot of time in s2fs years and years ago. Flew out of Anacostis NAS and Andrews..Andrew's... Thanks for doing this...

I was mistakenly ordered aboard the USS Hancock CV 19 in 1976. They flew off in one like this that was the mail plane. I will never forget how quickly we were over the water. Later I was stationed aboard the USS Constellation CV 64. Great to see this old bird drilling holes again.

Lovely to see. I first flew 844 with Rob Partington in Tucson Arizona in February 1977 as we were selecting the replacements for the S2Es lost in the Nowra hangar fire. Well done Nick, Steve and the rest of the restoration team.

I worked on these as a mechanic from 66 to 69 in Brunswick,Ga and in VC-10 in Gitmo. We towed targets for the ships to do gunnery practice in Gitmo I finished up in VS-28 in Quonset Point, RI. Its a good old airplane .

Flew these in 1973 to 1975 on USS Independence CV-62 this first carrier to have the CVS and CVA concept. It has a ASCAC center in it for us. She was a great bird. Landed single engine on the ship one time, not a problem! Great aircraft, good pilot! She was the US Navy's last aircraft (along with the C-1) to have ability to do a deck run with out a catapulted into the air. A “cat” shot was a lot more fun! I was a back seater! She did have to have to correct wind coming down the deck! Man what fun to run the radar. Very accurate even by today’s standards. One day I had pop up contacts...thought a bagged a sub...it was actually a pod of whales! Dam fun plane to fly in! Gentlemen, you have done a fine job bringing her back to life. Looks like she just came off the assembly line! Where is she now? She has just entered my bucket list of things to see! Good excuse for me to travel back to Australia! Thank you!

I love the throaty sound of these old engines!

Great Restoration. Back in the mid 60s in was in the Navy and had the pleasure of flying many hours as a crew member on an S2F model Tracker (stoof). Lots of good memories. I have a fondness for this great airplane. Thank you so much.

This takes me back a bit. The only time I ever flew in one was as a passenger, flew from NWS China Lake to NAS Alameda, must have been in 1975 or so. I was working on one of these one time when I got a bit of copper wire (a very small strand from a grounding cable) in my right eye; aborted the repair and got a quicky ride to sick bay. Not much fun, but I healed up well enough. Glorious to watch this thing start, warm up and launch :)

Flew aircrew in VR 24 and turn qualified in 1974 to 1978 loved them great bird. Also flew in them from 1971 to 1974 at NAS North Island. Another great product from the Grumman iron works

I am blown away with the job you guys have and are doing re restoration of these cold war sub hunters. Super, super job. I live in Calif. for a while and watched S2S's work fires for the Calif. Div. of Forestry. I swear the pilots were frustrated fighter jocks---low and fast.

My father flew in S2Fs, affectionately named 'Stufs' back in the 50's and 60's, before transitioning to the P-3 Orions. He was a sensor operator. I remember him in his khakis in the hallway of our home in New Jersey, and my mother standing there, crying, and his comment was not to worry, they were just going to have a bit of fun in Florida. The Cuban Missile Crisis. But, they were out there looking for those Russian subs. I've never been in one, but I would love to see the inside of one, restored to the days of the early 1960's.

Our (Uruguayan) navy had a few Trackers decades ago, and they often took part in joint maneuvers with Argentine and Brazilian navies. Saludos from Montevideo.

My first squadron at Los Alamitos NAS VS-774. My first cruise to Barber's Pt. Hawaii I saw a kid cut to bits when he backed into the prop when it was winding down. Two wacks and he was all over the ramp. Never have forgot that lesson.

I enjoy music--some songs just grab you. But the sound of old radials...on a twin or four-engine will always be goosebumps and tears.

Q bello ver estos aparatos de vuelo fascinante

I was on VC 851, the last squadron to operate 844, before Scholes shut it all down, she looks just like she did then, beautiful job guys, Bravo Zulu🤘

I spent a fair amount of time as a MAD operator in an S2F from squadron VS-837, NAS, N.Y. When on active duty, I was in V-4 division (Refueling) on the USS Lake Champlain CVS-39. Lots of great memories from there as well. Great video.

I was in vs 37 in San Diego CA for over 2 years, we had the S-2 D&E models. On my first west pack deployment we went to Sydney where some of the aircraft flew off before we docked to an airbase. The rumor was that the government was thinking of acquiring some. The fact that a group of people came together to recreate a great example of what was state of the art at that time is a prime example of people who care. Air anti sub Ron sub hunters

Fantastic video! I have never come across this aircraft type before - oh the glories of RU-vid! Well done to all the Society folk for keeping her airworthy.

My Dad flew these back in the early 60's. Biggest thrill of my life was walking through a hangar of these when I was a little kid. I can still remember the smell of all those greases they lubed them up with. Greatest smell ever! I believe he was with VS-36 at the time.

In 1959 iIwas ordered to USS Yorktown CVS10 an ASW carrier. I had nothing to do with air operations but had enough free time to watch S2F's being catapulted off and recovered. Pretty exciting for an 18 year old. Later Stufs were used as fire retardant aircraft and I remember seeing them dropping their loads on various fires in California. It is odd to see them as "historical".

I worked on the last of them in the US Navy in the mid 70's, at NAS Norfolk Va.. My picture was taken while I was doing the final cowling installation on the very last one to leave the Air Station. If I had my stories correct, it was also the first hangar in the Navy where the S-2 was introduced into service. You don't miss them until they're gone, but time moves on and waits for no one, not even aircraft. I also worked on the EC-121,. T-28 and C-1 Trader variant of the S-2. I'm now 69 this month and I'm getting ready to close out a 50 year career in aviation . Yes, it was a sound to remember, with several turning up at once, doing maintenance runs , or waiting for their turn to taxi out.

Lots of time in P2 and P3 in the 70's and had the occasional opportunity to fly in a few of these in Sowey and Brunswick. Just love the power of this aircraft. It is gritty, gutsy and loud. Affectionately nicknamed the "stoof", this aircraft was responsible for detecting the Soviet cargo ships that were delivering nuclear missiles to Cuba..... the rest being some hair raising history.... Great work HARS. It would be so worth it to take a trip down under and see these wonderful ASW aircraft again. -AW1 CharlyV

In its day, this aircraft performed the same role as he later S-3 Viking. It also had a variant fitted with a large dorsal radar antenna that was the forerunner to the E-2 Hawkeye used aboard Navy carriers to this day.

What a beautiful S2F! This is the platform that I wanted to fly when I went to FLYNAVY (OCS and Flight School) years ago....ended up on another though. The F-14 was a new bird by one year at that point. Love radial engines; too bad the helicopter had to spoil this video's wonderful sounds.

Totally amazing that a few of these are still flying as firefighting water bombers in California. BTW, this was a hard model kit to find in my youth, but I managed to build one.

Sweet memories of the early 1960's when these planes used to fly over our house almost every day. Lived directly across the street from NAS Alameda, Ca. back then, right near the main runway. We used call them sub chasers, because they had a boom in the back that extends

Good to see one of them back in the air again. Cannot beat the sound of a radial engine (DC3,Tracker and Caribou)

One of my all time favorite aircraft.

I remember our C-1 COD on board USS Constellation CVA-64 from 72-75. Did a lot of CC work on it from salt water corrosion issues. Sure do miss the good ole days.

Thanks for this 👍✈️🇳🇿

Great except the jittery camera work. Love the COD or Tracker as it's more commonly named. They were called CODs on both carriers I was on.

One of the few Aus trackers left after a deliberate fire back in the early 70's

Nice to see the old lady taking to the skys, where she belongs.

I flew with S-2E/C, 26 yrs ago. I also lost my fellows. Good and sad memories.

What a beautiful old plane. ...

Quando eu tinha 10 anos, meu pai me levou a bordo do porta avioes Minas Gerais. E o S2 Tracker foi meu primeiro contato com a aviação. Uma visão memorável.

My beloved stoof. It did double duty as ASW and mail plane when I was on the Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in the mid 70's. Our pilot was "fast eddie"

As a kid (1950's N Massapequia) we lived appx 3 miles off the end of the Bethpage plant, so many great aircraft flying low over our house.

In Canada we are using these for fire fighting. Love that sound of radial engines. Ex Greenie

Excellent. Thank you for posting.

Beautiful aircraft! Absolutely love the sound of the big old radials. We had a nice static example of the Tracker at the Quonset Air Museum in Rhode Island. Had a very bad winter with many heavy snow storms some years back and collapsed the roof. No funds to rebuild so all aircraft were sold off or donated. No idea where the S2 Tracker went. Very sad. Huge loss of history for RI.

I had a chance to fly in these a few times with vs880 squadron, Canadian Forces, flying at tree top level is the most fun.

I have Watched this Channel until finish because i Love it👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙏❤️🙂🙂🙂😁😁

We had a Stuf as a station plane in Naval Station Rota Spain in 72. I flew in it quite a few times... best trip was to Barcelona with the plane captain AT2 Leo P Frogge. 4 days in Barcelona. WOW!!! AME2 G. Wison

I used to repair the S-2F during my time working at the Thai Navy, U-Tapao Airport, Thailand, around 1982 - 1986.

The good ole C 1 A aboard the USS FDR CVA-42 and my last Carrier the USS Intrepid CVS-11 which I was on decommissioning crew!!!

Good to go!!! Beautiful plane.

Back in the late 80's I did some gliding down at nowra and it was very sad to see perhaps 6 or 8 of these aircraft left to sit outside to rot in the salt air. It must have been an exceptional effort by the restorers to get this one flying again!

Cool vídeo. I love this plane.

Always happy to see the COD's come aboard the USS Independence CVA62. It often meant we'd have mail call shortly there after.

Maybe it's just me ,this is the aircraft I want to cuddle and take to bed with me , I love it .

Back in 95 we had a ex RAN Grumman Tracker #851 at the Qantas apprentice training centre that I dropped a roll of lockwire in the number 1 engine...I never did find it. 😏

Awsome job making her fly again........😉

What a magic aircraft

Looks like the C1-A . I was an aircrewman on the Ranger 72,73.

I love the folding wings!

How cool it would be to see the 851 and the 844 flying together

in 1967 aboard cva 31 I saw a guy step into the prop of one at full throttle at night, it visits me some times.

Tracker looks chubby but has good power, at least on paper

Estes aviões não devem ser extintos

nice aircraft

That’s the Royal Australian navy (RAN) 816 squadron reunion.

Fantastic .....The Best ..... Power.....📡📡📡📡👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🛩️

Beautiful……

ESTE AVIÃO TAMBÉM EQUIPAVA A FORÇA AÉREA BRASILEIRA... ERA CONHECIDO AQUI COMO P-16... ELE ERA BARULHENTO NO CÉU E ERA FÁCIL RECONHECER A PASSAGEM DESTE AVIÃO NO CÉU!!!!!!!

Looks like a tight little cockpit.

Great video! I may not be looking in the right place, but I didn't see any flaps during the landings...were they possibly practicing for that?

Another superb video you guys are doing a fantastic job on these old birds massive congratulations to all involved.👍👏

It's amazing that this museum has all these operational ASW aircraft. What does the "limited" wording mean? Is that similar to "Experimental" in the US?

This was a great air baby

Are the S-2 airframes pressurized?

What's all that crap at the rear of the engine nacelles?

Very impressive

A ride in the cockpit of an S2F convinced me NOT to become a Naval Aviator. It was very cramped and claustrophobic for me. I realized that at 6'4" I was probably too tall to fit comfortably in almost any cockpit. But the "Stoof" served the Navy well for a long time.

Love it!!!!

Oh the memories. Used to work on these in the 80s. What is the "limited" below the window mean?

aqui no Brasil., esses GRUMMAN, operaram no porta aviões Minas Gerais....

Royal Australian Air Force roundel?

G model. Nacelle smoke launchers. Flew G models in VS-24, 1974-76 out of NAS Cecil and USS Saratoga, as Aircrew. Both seats.

Love the Tracker and the C1 Cod's, something I don't understand tho. Wikipedia list the cruise speed of the Tracker as 150 MPH, in the military configuration with the search light and all the other sub hunting paraphernalia on the aircraft I get that, but in a cleaned up configuration, with that much horsepower, the tracker should be a strong 200MPH aircraft?

Are there JAT's at the rear of the engine nacelles?

All the time I was at Albatross never saw one

Check out the 10 S2f videos made in the 50s/60s from USN VS-872 ... some good footage...

สุดยอดทันสมัยด้วย

My plane over Vietnam.

Didn’t the US Navy have a version of this aircraft with some kind of radar dish or pod or radar saucer on top which predated the E2-C?

Looks like 74 Squadron RAF Tigers Head on the tail

these plane flow in B.C. when i was kid loud aircraft

My husband assembled these in plant 6 Calverton ny.

Why is the Australian Navy using piston engines