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Memorial Build for a Lost Tracker


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Note: This is going to be a bit more than just a standard build log. I'm going to start with a story and then conclude with the build. Also, it is going to be a long term project, in that I have some pretty hefty demands on my time (ie - a 3 month old baby girl) and some other projects still ongoing. That being said......

On August 24, 1978, a US Naval Reserve US-2B Tracker based at Naval Air Station South Weymouth, MA crashed in the neighboring town of Rockland, MA while returning from a routine training flight with a failed engine. I was a young kid at the time, living in the coastal town of Scituate, MA. Back in the day, I remember seeing a variety of NAS SoWey aircraft buzzing overhead. Most of the time, they were SH-3 Sea King helos or P-3 Orions, heading out over the ocean for ASW missions. On occasion, I'd see Marine A-4's or UH-1N Hueys. I also remember religiously attending the annual airshow at the base, checking out a wide variety of aircraft as well as the Blue Angles. Good stuff for a aircraft fanatic like myself. Alas, the air station is no more. Victim of one of the BRAC rounds, it closed in 1995. The Marine units were decommissioned, while the P-3 squadron relocated to NAS Brunswick, ME (until that base also fell victim to a BRAC round, leaving no Naval aviation presence in New England).

I barely remember hearing about the crash at the time. The annual airshow occurred a few days later and was dedicated to the memory of the two pilots killed in the crash - Cdr. Albert Bailey and LCdr. Kenneth Mariott.

Like any other event, it made the local papers and then faded from memory.

Fast forward to 2011. After hearing about Kinetic releasing an S-2 Tracker in 1/48th scale, I vaguely remembered the story of a Tracker having crashed decades ago at the base. Out of curiosity, I tried to find some additional info. An internet search yielded absolutely nothing. I was starting to wonder if this accident really happened or not. As a last resort, I posted a question about this on ARC and was able to get confirmation that it had actually occurred and some additional details (date, names of the pilots, etc). Also included was a picture of another US-2 based at South Weymouth at the same time:

 

US2A

 

 

For some reason, this really started to interest me. As I work in the town next to where this aircraft crashed, I decided to swing by the Rockland library on my lunch hour. After spending some time reviewing microfilm copies of old local newspapers, I found a single article on the crash:

2990_001-001

 

2990_001-002

While reading, I saw some notes that indicated that crew intentionally put the aircraft down in a wooded area, to avoid nearby homes and a sports field. This eliminated any chance of survival for them.

This just added to my interest in this crash. In search of more information (including, hopefully, details on the aircraft itself to assist with building the model), I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the US Navy. On a previous project (my AH-6C Littlebird build), I had very good results with this process and was able to obtain some very useful pictures of what was once a highly classified helo. Approximately 4 weeks after submitting my request, I received an email from the Navy Safety Center. They had located the accident report. The cost was going to be approximately $80 due to the time spent reproducing the entire document. The helpful individual suggested that I might want to request a "JAGMAN" report instead, from the Navy Judge Advocate General and provided a name and address for this request. They indicated that the JAGMAN report would contain the same info as the accident report (minus anything deemed to be of personal or sensitive nature) and could be provided free of charge. Given that $80 was too costly for my budget, I contacted the JAG and a very helpful individual from that office confirmed that they could provide this report (officially known as a JAG Manual Investigation). They even went so far as to scan in the relevant pictures onto a CD, instead of just photocopying them. Within a few weeks, I received a very large envelope with the full report, at zero cost.

The report had been redacted where necessary to remove all information deemed unsuitable for public release. This material included medical information, personal data on the pilots, etc. I had no interest in that material, my only focus was on the events of the crash itself. The information provided was very interesting and in my next few posts, I'll summarize the report's findings.

 

UPDATE - 7/2017:  For those reading this thread for the first time, you'll undoubtedly note that some of the pictures are missing.   This is due to Photobucket suddenly eliminating the online posting of MY own pictures.  I'm trying to go back and replace the missing pics one by one.   I probably won't get to all of them but I'll try to replace at least the key ones.   Sorry for the inconvenience.  

Edited by 11bee
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This is very interesting. My dad was in VS-72/AIMD and actually worked on this very S-2. It was one of two station birds assigned to NAS South Weymouth. He remembers working all night on the aircraft for engine problems. they fixed the bird and after turning the aircraft that morning it was returned to an up status. he was also part of the investigating team. When i asked him about it because i remember years ago him talking about a crash in Weymouth, i was only 2 at the time. it was weird reading this as I asked him about it and he was saying details that were in the article. I know this to be true as he does not know of this site. we were stationed there and my brother was not even a year old at the time. It is because of this crash as why my dad does not eat doritos as they remind him of the smell at the crash. When i asked him tonight about the crash he said both pilots names and then i told him of your build.

Andy

Edited by titan8251
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This is very interesting. My dad was in VS-72/AIMD and actually worked on this very S-2. It was one of two station birds assigned to NAS South Weymouth. He remembers working all night on the aircraft for engine problems. they fixed the bird and after turning the aircraft that morning it was returned to an up status. he was also part of the investigating team. When i asked him about it because i remember years ago him talking about a crash in Weymouth, i was only 2 at the time. it was weird reading this as I asked him about it and he was saying details that were in the article. I know this to be true as he does not know of this site. we were stationed there and my brother was not even a year old at the time. It is because of this crash as why my dad does not eat doritos as they remind him of the smell at the crash. When i asked him tonight about the crash he said both pilots names and then i told him of your build.

Andy

Hi Andy,

What a strange coincidence. It really is a small world. He wouldn't have any pictures of this aircraft by any chance? I'm not familiar w/ VS-72, did they fly Trackers?

I don't think your Dad would like the way the place looks now. Most of the base buildings / hangars on the flight line are still intact but fenced off and deteriorating. Approx half the runways have been torn up. Most of the base housing is still being used and they have plans to eventually turn the entire base into a large mixed residential / commercial mini-community called "Southfield". This has been stalled for quite a while due to funding issues. At some point before everything gets torn down, I need to swing by and take some pics.

Edited by 11bee
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Background:

By 1978, the Tracker was a bit of an anachronism in the US Navy. Complex, hard to maintain radial piston-engined aircraft had pretty much vanished from the fleet, being replaced by more modern turbine powered aircraft. One of the few exceptions were the US-2 series aircraft. These were modified versions of the obsolete S-2 antisubmarine aircraft, converted for general transport and utility roles. This entailed the removal of all dedicated ASW equipment (radar, searchlight, MAD gear, etc) and, in the case of the US-2B version, the installation of 5 passenger seats. A very nice summary of the US-2B layout can be found here for those interested:

http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2012/02/utility-s-2s.html

Most Naval air stations had a few of these aircraft (either US-2A or -2B versions) assigned as general "hacks", used for utility and pilot proficiency tasks. This included allowing pilots who were assigned in non-flying, administrative positions to maintain flight status. By '78 these planes had been in service for nearly 20 years and at one base, the US-2B was somewhat derisively referred to as the "Used To Be".

US-2B (Naval BuNo 133176, AKA "176") was a conversion of an S-2B aircraft, which in turn, was an S-2A updated with advanced ASW acoustic equipment.

From the JAG report's "Finding of Facts":

176 was assigned to NAS South Weymouth on April 25, 1978 and at the time of the accident, had a total of 8,342 flight hours.

On July 1 1978, the port engine was noted to have backfired while in flight at 6,000'.

On July 20, a Field Barometric Power Check was performed. This consisted of recording the RPM of each engine and comparing it to a prescribed standard, adjusted for temp and pressure. Results for both engines were below allowable tolerances (70 RPM for the starboard engine and 80 RPM for the port unit).

The NAVAIR specification for this test states that low field barometric power check indicates at least one of the following conditions - one or more cylinders out, instrumentation errors, improper valve clearance, late magneto timing, low pitch stop set too high.

The aircraft was not "downed" at the time and was flow on five additional flights before any documented corrective action was taken. On August 5, the report's Finding of Facts indicates that the corrective action taken was to order a manifold gauge. Item 51 of the Finding of Facts, states "No written documentation is available to indicate why the decision was made to order a manifold gauge instead of compliance with" the NAVAIR specification referenced above.

On August 9th, it was noted that "Engines popped on takeoff at both Weymouth and Pensacola. Possible water". In response to this incident, it was recorded "Checked & set ignition timing. Also stack check-OK". The Finding of Fact noted that there was no other documentation ascertaining which engine was repaired or if both were repaired and to what extent they were repaired; i.e., what the ignition timing was set to".

After this maintenance was performed, 176 flew a total of 4.5 hours prior to it's final flight on August 24.

More to follow.

Edited by 11bee
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On August 24, 1978, US-2B 176 was fueled with 500 gallons of AVGAS and prepared for a local training flight (FAM-2 profile which consists of an introduction of normal landing procedures and a review of all items demonstrated during the initial FAM-1 area check out and demonstration of flight characteristics flight).

LCDR Mariott was listed as the instructor pilot and CDR Bailey was listed as pilot under instruction. CDR Baily had flown this aircraft the previous day for 1.2 hours. It was his first flight in an S-2 type aircraft since 1973 and he was being re-qualified in the aircraft by LCDR Mariott. Although not having flown the Tracker in recent years, CDR Bailey was an experienced Naval Aviator with 3,679 total flight hours, of which 3,519 were in S-2 type aircraft. LCDR Mariott had a total of 2,178 flight hours of which 324 hours were in S-2 type aircraft.

Tracker 176 took off from NAS South Weymouth at 0937, under partly cloudy skies. Immediately after departure, 176 informed the tower that they had lost a generator and wished to make an immediate landing. Shortly thereafter, they radioed that the generator had come back on line. 176 then departed the local area, heading east over the ocean towards Cape Cod.

The next communication with the tower was at 1041 when 176 declared an emergency with an illuminated magnetic chip detector light. The chip detector is used to notify the flight crew in the event that metal particles are detected within the engine oil sump. Presence of these particles is often indicative of engine damage. Shortly afterwards, the pilot indicated that they were "two thirds of the way up the Cape", south of Provincetown, MA.

At 1044, 176 radioed that the port engine had a "chip detector light with accompanying high oil temperature" and they decided to "keep it on the line and keep an eye on it".

Item 91 of the report's "Finding of Facts" stated that the decision to keep the port engine "on the line and keep and eye on it" instead of immediately feathering the corresponding engine upon secondary indication of an abnormal engine (high oil temperature) was in violation of prescribed Naval Air Training Operating Procedure Standardization program (NATOPS)procedures. NATOPS is sort of the "bible" for operation of a naval aircraft / helo. Pilots are trained to follow the NATOPS procedures to the letter.

At 1052 176 reported they were over Plymouth harbor, with their port engine running rough, smoking and partially in the feathered position. Time elapsed from the first reported indication of an abnormal engine to attempt to feather was approximately 12 minutes. Eyewitnesses on the ground noted the port propeller to be slowly turning (a properly feathered propeller would be motionless, since it's blades are parallel to the airstream). This undoubtedly added a significant amount of drag (and strain on the one functional engine).

During this time, an SH-3A Sea King helicopter on a routine post-maintenance check flight diverted south to assist. At 1055, 176 reported going "feet dry" over Plymouth, MA. Shortly afterwards, SH-3A NW443 joined the Tracker in formation and reported that it was trailing smoke.

More to follow.

Edited by 11bee
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Yea, VS-72 flew trackers and had yellow scallops on their tails like VS-73's tails but they were a light blue. I will ask him if he has anything. I was talking about this to my mom and she said the wives all got together and made sandwiches and coffee and stuff as they would not open the galley. My mom also said that my dad had nightmares for a while after this and she knows that he had a hard time with it. He said that he picked up a helmet and part of a skull was in it and that smell is why my dad doesn't eat Doritos .

Andy

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Final events:

At 1055, US-2B Tracker 176 was returning to NAS South Weymouth, MA with a failed port (left) engine. To make matters worse, the engine's propeller failed to fully feather, adding a significant amount of drag to the now single-engined aircraft. The Tracker was followed in close formation by an SH-3A Sea King helicopter. The stricken Tracker was now over Plymouth, MA, approximately 25 miles from it's base. It's altitude was approximately 1,000' but the SH-3A crew noted that it appeared to be decreasing at a steady rate.

At 1056, the SH-3A radioed the Tracker crew that it was trailing smoke. However, the Tracker crew was not informed that the yellow-ish brown smoke was actually coming from the functioning starboard (right) engine until over two minutes later. At 1101, the Tracker crew noted that they now had an illuminated starboard engine chip detector light. The time between the known engine commencing to malfunction (starboard engine) and the illumination of the chip detector light was 4 minutes, 16 seconds.

At 1101, the NAS South Weymouth control tower informed the Tracker that they were in sight. At 1102, the flight crew notified the tower that if their landing gear would not extend, the were going to land regardless.

27 seconds later, 176 radioed the tower - "we may have to ditch it" and asked them to stand-by.

At 1102:31, 176 made a final call to the tower, indicating that both engines had quit and they were going to "take it in".

At nearly the same time, the accompanying SH-3A informed the tower that 176 was attempting to land in a field, 4 miles southeast of the base.

15 seconds later, the SH-3A radioed "Crash-Crash-Crash" and informed the tower that the Tracker was down and burning.

The SH-3A crew reported that the Tracker appeared to be in position to crash land on the field (which was a baseball field complex) but then overflew the field and crashed into the woods immediately beyond it. The SH-3A immediately landed nearby and the co-pilot and a third crew-member ran to the crash site to assist. Despite their efforts and those of local residents and firefighters, one pilot was killed instantly, while the other pilot was removed from the wreckage but died a short time later.

From the reports of local residents who witnessed the crash, it appeared that the Tracker crew deliberately overflew the ball fields and went down in the woods. Aside from the area of woods where the aircraft went down, the rest of the immediate vicinity is heavily populated with single family homes and a large apartment complex.

Accident report summary and the start of the model build to follow. However, Item 25 of the accident report Opinions section is worth noting:

25. The decisions by the pilots of (the Tracker) to "take it in" the trees rather than trying to stretch their glide slope save the lives of innocent parties.

Edited by 11bee
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Not a pretty airplane, but I will follow the build. Sounds like a great subject, and I like the historical ties.

Aaron

Wings folded, the Tracker looks like a short little dumpy thing (the nickname "Stoof" seems to be pretty applicable) but with those long wings extended and the gear retracted, I think the old girl is actually pretty attractive.

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From the JAG report, "Cause of Accident"

- Port engine suffered power loss as a result of heavy scoring of crankshaft journal and mating master connecting rod bearing allowing clearances to develop which permitted pistons to contact valves, thereby causing a chain reaction type of deterioration of the internal mechanism of the engine.

- Cause of failure of port propeller governor to fully feather could not be determined.

- Starboard engine suffered power loss as a result of broken exhaust valve in number 3 cylinder. Engine valve seat came loose causing exhaust valve head to break, setting up a chain reaction type deterioration of the internal mechanism of the engine with resultant power loss.

- Due to altitude and airspeed at the time of power failure on the starboard engine of (US-2B), all options previously available to the pilots became nil forcing them to ditch the aircraft.

- At their posit/altitude/airspeed, no suitable field was available for ditching and a crash became inevitable.

Final report Opinions and Conclusions to follow.

Edited by 11bee
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JAG accident report Opinions. "A" is the accident aircraft, "F" and "G" refer to the pilots, "B" is the South Weymouth Air Station and "H" is the accompanying SH-3A Sea King helo.

IMG_0001IMG_0003IMG_0002

 

Edited by 11bee
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Also included within the JAG accident report were three "Endorsements" which are opinions and comments on the accident report findings which were posted above.

The First Endorsement (submitted by the commanding officer of NAS South Weymouth), took exception to the report findings that CDR Bailey was not properly prepared for the flight and that the flight crew allowed closer airfields to pass by, while they attempted to return to their home base. As noted previously, this decision was in violation of NATOPS procedures. The following paragraph from this endorsement is quoted in full, I have highlighted what I feel is a critical statement:

7. Since the accident, the operation of the S-2 program at this station has been completely reviewed and a competent NATOPS program is in effect. Maintenance procedures have been scrupulously overhauled and good quality assurance procedures have been instituted. In May 1979 the US-2 will be transferred and NAS DIFOPS pilots will fly more modern P-3A, SH-3D and TA-4J aircraft as appropriate. The retention of a relatively complex aircraft as a one-of-a-kind utility / proficiency trainer is questionable from many viewpoints. Under the conditions of austere manning found at many Naval Reserve air stations, it is not surprising that this old aircraft did not receive the detailed attention needed to maintain a thoroughly safe program.

The Second Endorsement, from the Chief of Naval Reserve concluded that due to the lack of documented refresher ground training, it was concluded that CDR Bailey was not properly prepared for the flight. It also concluded that decision by the flight crew to return to home field was contrary to NATOPS procedures that requires whenever an engine is stopped as a precaution on aircraft that has two engines, the pilot in command shall land at the nearest suitable airport at which a safe landing can be accomplished.

The Third and final Endorsement was submitted by the Commandant of the Fourth Naval District. It concluded that the pilot in command made errors by failing to follow prescribe NATOPS procedures with regard to the delay in feathering the port engine. It's final comment is quoted in full and highlighted as I feel that this is also a critical section.

4. This endorser does not concur with (paragraph 7 of the First Endorsement submitted by the commander of the South Weymouth Air Station and quoted above) that it is not surprising that the old aircraft did not receive the detailed attention needed to maintain a thoroughly safe program (for whatever reason) is alarming in its apparent implication that various degrees of safety (safe as opposed to thoroughly safe) exist within Naval Aviation. If as implied, austere manning or any other factor a Naval Air Stations results in a program in which the quality of maintenance is adversely affected or one in which "shortcuts" exist, then such a program should receive immediate review and revision. Only two degrees of safety (safe and unsafe) exist; of these, safe is the only acceptable standard.

In summation, it appears that the root cause of the accident was due to multiple maintenance errors made by NAS South Weymouth personnel. It was compounded by the failure of one of the pilots to "down" the aircraft due to unacceptable engine test results / performance on previous flights and by the violation of naval flight regulations during the Tracker's final flight (failure to immediately feather the port engine and failure to land at any of the 5 airfields that were passed during the return flight to NAS South Weymouth). It was also compounded by the failure of the accompanying helo to immediately make it clear to the Tracker pilots that their one functioning engine was actually trailing smoke. Like most accidents, any break in the chain above probably would have prevented the crash from happening.

The saddest part of this story is that 176 went down 4 miles from the base. If the starboard engine had held together for another 120 seconds, CDR Bailey and LCDR Marriott would have made the runway and this story would have been nothing more than a long forgotten footnote.

Edit - I posted this around page 5, but since it fits in with the story of the crash, I am adding the following:

Here is one of the pictures I received from that last FOIA request. As noted, the quality is poor. They send me a single PDF with 10 pictures or so. I took a quick shot at pulling this one and editing it. Not what I have hoped for, I'll retry later. The picture was taken by the SH-3 helo crew, as they escorted 176, above and behind it.

Regardless, if you squint hard enough, you can see 176 at the bottom left of the picture. It's just in line with the roadway running from left to right, at low altitude. You may also be able to make out the trail of smoke from it's one remaining engine, which at this point may have just failed as well. Immediately ahead is the ballfield complex and the woods beyond where the US-2 crashed. A large apartment complex is that whitish blob immediately beyond the woods and at the top of the picture in the mist is NAS South Weymouth. You can just make out the pattern of the runways off in the distance.

176-1-001

The picture was labeled by the Navy "US-2B 133176, Approximately 1/2 mile to impact". It's the last picture of 176, taken probably 15 seconds before it's crash. So close....

Edited by 11bee
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  • 2 weeks later...

On to the model. As noted in other posts, the Kinetic kit has some issues. Foremost is that the fuselage length is too long for the S-2E (needs to be shortened aft of the wings) and much too long for an earlier version Tracker (needs to be shortened both before and after the wings). A great reference on what is required to accurately build a long and short fuselage tracker is here:

http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2010/08/stoof.html

And here is some additional info on what is needed to build an earlier, short fuselage tracker:

http://belcherbitsblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/kinetic-tracker-fuselage-modifications.html

In addition, the US-2B requires other modifications, including windows added to the starboard side, fairing on the ends of the engine nacelles (which are also re-contoured from the Kinetic kit), smaller span horizontal stabilizers, re-shaped wing tips and many other smaller details.

Here is a very useful picture of a US-2B sister ship to 176, it shows some of the modifications that will be required.

 

6872101161_b673194193_o

 

Much work to be done.....

Edited by 11bee
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  • 3 months later...

This project has been on the backburner for some time now. I'm still trying to wrap up my Mi-8 Hip helo and haven't had the time or desire to start another project. Today, I figured I'd at least get a small part underway. First of all, the obligatory shot of the various components.

 

IMG_5294

Nothing over the top on this one (so far), just the Kinetic cockpit PE set, a very nice Wolfpack resin wingfold detail set and the all-important custom decals from Fireball Model works. I'll also be purchasing the Belcher conversion which will give me the short span horizontal stabs and some other bits and pieces.

I can't say enough about the decals, they look outstanding and the cost was very, very reasonable. If anyone out there is looking for custom decals (or some very nice helo decals), head over to: http://www.fireballmodels.info/

Anyway, I decided to start with the cockpit seats. The Kinetic kit is pretty decent but some of the detail parts are pretty rough. The worst are probably the seats. They are basically crude chunks of plastic. Also, they represent the seats found on the later version S-2E. The early version Trackers had bucket seats. I ended up using the kit seats, cutting away the seat cushion, thinning the plastic sides and adding some bits for the bucket and seat back. I also enlarged the head rest using plastic strips and putty. It still looks pretty basic but I will be adding additional details such as adjustment handles, the mounting frames and the PE seatbelts. Once I do all that and get some paint on them, I think they will look ok.

I want the seats to look nice since I plan on leaving the overhead escape hatches open and the seats will be very visible.

Here is my first seat, with the original kit seat next to it.

IMG_5289

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking.

Edited by 11bee
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This is exactly the kind of build we're looking for for the Livin History GB coming up in a month if you want to join.

I'll probably jump in. At my rate of progress, I'll still be working on the seats!

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This is very interesting. My dad was in VS-72/AIMD and actually worked on this very S-2. It was one of two station birds assigned to NAS South Weymouth. He remembers working all night on the aircraft for engine problems. they fixed the bird and after turning the aircraft that morning it was returned to an up status. he was also part of the investigating team. When i asked him about it because i remember years ago him talking about a crash in Weymouth, i was only 2 at the time. it was weird reading this as I asked him about it and he was saying details that were in the article. I know this to be true as he does not know of this site. we were stationed there and my brother was not even a year old at the time. It is because of this crash as why my dad does not eat doritos as they remind him of the smell at the crash. When i asked him tonight about the crash he said both pilots names and then i told him of your build.

Andy

I forgot to ask earlier - does your dad have any pictures of either of the two US-2's stationed at NAS So Wey?

John

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The seats are pretty much complete. I still need to fabricate the bases, that will happen further on in the project. After modifying the kit chunks o' plastic to replicate the early version bucket seats, I added multiple adjusting handles out of scrap plastic and sprue. Knobs were made from dabs of superglue. I also scored a line to separate the bucket from the upper portion of the seatback. I then drilled a couple of holes in the headrest support. Lastly, I added the Kinetic PE seatbelts. They are pretty nice, each one is pre-painted. The only issue I saw was the PE seatbelts were a darker brown, I painted over that to replicate the weathered greyish, tan color of the real thing.

From a single piece on the original, each seat now consists of approx 14 pieces. I may still tweak these a bit, trying to find some good color pics of the real thing. The seatback cushion was painted a dingy orange, the seat itself was painted dark gull gray and the headrest a lighter gray. I added multiple paint chips to represent a seat that had seen 20 or so years of use before that last day in 1978. After looking at the pictures below, I will probably tone down a few of the scratches, I'm also not 100% happy with the color of the seatbelts. I think I'll repaint them with a lighter color. Anyway, that is it for now.

Regards,

John

IMG_5301

 

 

Edited by 11bee
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Wow those seats are nice, to nice to put inside the cockpit.

Thank you! I think I am definitely going to repaint the straps and tone down a couple of the paint chips. It's amazing what a close up picture will show. I just wish I had some good color shots of the seats (and actually the entire cockpit area). There are pics online but every one I've seen is either B&W or shows restored aircraft that have significant differences compared to an active duty machine.

John

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Next up are some additions to the cockpit. The Kinetic kit is very basic and even w/ the PE set, there is much that is still missing. Once of the biggest problems is that Kinetic left out the central console between the pilot's seats. This has a feature that is pretty unique - to allow the flight crew to access their seats, the entire console swings upwards and latches to the instrument panel.

38TrackerCockpit

I'll have to scratch build this, my initial preference is to build it in the folded position. Question though, does anyone have suggestions on how to replicate those three inset slots on the side of the console? I'm not really sure how to approach this one...

Edited by 11bee
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My need to scratch-build that hinged center console has gone away. Thanks to "Tailspin Turtle" ARC's resident S-2 expert, I am told that when the S-2's were converted to the US-2 utility version, the instrumentation on the folding console was relocated to the smaller fixed center console that is mounted underneath the intrument panel. The only change to this console was the installation of a smaller box that contained the autopilot controls. Works for me, that makes my life a bit easier.

Anyway, my work on the cockpit continues at a slow pace. As mentioned, the kit parts are very basic. Here are some of them:

IMG_5328.jpg

I need to take things a bit further since I plan on having the overhead escape hatches in the open position. I started with the rear bulkhead. The kit's part has a rectangular door way that is accurate for the later S-2E version but on earlier Trackers, it was oval shaped. I replicated this with some scrap plastic, putty and lots of sanding. I also added some reinforcing structure to the otherwise bare bulkhead. Next up were a couple of canvas bags that were used to store the pilot's headphones. These and a canteen were made from blobs of putty and scrap plastic, sanded to shape. A small bit of stretch sprue was used for the canteen cap. Lastly, I used thin strips of scrap PE brass to represent the circuit breaker panels on the aft bulkhead. These were painted a faded, flat black and I then went back with small dabs of gloss black and white to represent the breakers and their labels. The bulkhead itself was painted dark gull gray with a bit of white added for scale effect. Here are a few pictures, just note that I was loosing the light when I took them and my photography skills in general are pretty poor. The parts look better than they do in these pictures, trust me :) I'll take some better pictures in the next few days and re-post. I still plan on adding some smaller details and going over the CB panels with Tamiya smoke to blend in the white markings a bit.

IMG_5338

 

 

I added a section of thick lead foil to the inner wall of the cockpit to represent the soundproofing material and onto that, I added a small bit of plastic to represent the pilot's ash trays (you really have to love aircraft from this time period). The blankets were painted a darker shade of gray than the rest of the interior and drybrushed with some other colors for weathering, the upper framework and area under the instrument panel shroud was painted aircraft black. Note that unlike other US aircraft, the blankets on the S-2 don't appear to be the "quilted" type.

IMG_5342.jpg

I carved away the base of the instrument panel and sanded off the raised detailing on it's face. On the real thing, that fixed center console is suspended from the IP, it doesn't come in contact with the cockpit floor. I painted the entire panel aircraft black and will be adding the very nice Kinetic PE to this, as well as the scratchbuilt autopilot control panel and some other details. I still have to add some details to the cockpit floor, at this point I've just filled in the openings for the panel and pilot's seats, added a plate in front of each pilot (made from aluminum foil, with ridges pressed into it with the dull side of an x-acto knife. Still have work to do on this part. The rudder pedals should not be mounted to the floor but from the viewing angle of the model, it won't be noticeable. Same with the base of the instrument panel. It looks a bit rough but since none of it will be visible once the kit is built up, I have no need to waste any time on this section.

IMG_5394IMG_5393

Lastly, here is a picture with the bulkhead and floor dry fitted into place.

IMG_5343.jpg

On last note on colors - on the picture I posted within a previous post of the Tracker's center console, please note that these interior colors were specific to Canadian Trackers. USN versions were pretty much standard dark gull gray on the inside.

That's it for now, thanks for looking.

Edited by 11bee
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