Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Utility S-2s

One of my research projects is sorting out some details on the utility S-2s. There's a NATOPS manual for the TS-2A and US-2A/B/C. So far, the TS-2A appears to be a stripped S2F-1 used for multiengine training and originally designated S2F-1T. The US-2A appears to be the same configuration and/or the subsequent use of TS-2A. The US-2B was a conversion of the S2F-1 as a mini-COD; they may or may not have been converted from S-2Bs (S2F-1S), which was an S-2A with an interim Julie ASW system installed.

The US-2B was a seven-place utility configuration with one seat (5 in the illustration below) well aft at the end of the avionics compartment, one (4) that blocked (!) the cabin door but was normally stowed on the left side of the fuselage only partially blocking the door, two (3 and 7) aft-facing passenger seats, and one (6) located on the right side of the fuselage atop the bomb bay.

Bill Spidle photographed the interior of warbird US-2B, BuNo136398 N8110X, at the Mojave Airport in May 2004.



Note that two windows were added to the right side of the airplane aft of the cabin door.


 The US-2C was a conversion to the tow target mission.

Small windows were also added to the aft section of the cabin for this conversion. Note the target is streamed from a hatch aft of the plated-over radome opening.

4 comments:

  1. Canada had two Trackers modified as COD. I would suspect that the seating arrangement was similar to the US-2B. Anyone seen the Canadian version?

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  2. I flew as utility crew on 136398 from 1974 to 1978 at NAS Merdian. Does anyone know if she is still in the Mojave?

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  3. I flew her from 1978 thru 1979 at NAS Meridian, Ms. My name is Joe Heath and she was for sale in California in about 2007.

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  4. Sold to Erik Anderson. I and another mechanic are getting her back to flying status for ferry flight to east coast.

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