S-2 Tracker Water Drop Demo and LOW Flybys! - Thunder Over The Heartland 2021

A piston-engined S-2 Tracker - believed to be the only flying non-turbo S-2 in the world - performs an aerial firefighting water drop demonstration during the Saturday airshow at Thunder Over The Heartland 2021. After the drop, watch for some more amazingly low flybys!
The aircraft has been restored to flight to serve as an aerial firefighter on contract with the state of Kansas. It is based in Hutchison, KS.
Thank you to our friends at the Tora Bomb Squad for helping us get this amazing vantage point!
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Check out a water drop demo from the massive Martin Mars - kzbin.info/www/bejne/baXWpoyLmrtqlc0 Subscribe to our channel for hundreds of other aviation and airshow videos! Visit our website www.AirshowStuff.com for an airshow calendar, photos, discussion forums, and more!

[@Randombikekid]

Are you filming on the field or in the audience? If you are filming on the field, where is the audience at?

[@Tomasbosio]

This has to be one of the most beautiful tankers ever made! Just the sound of it is amazing!

[@kenriehl7852]

Originally a Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, carrier based anti submarine aircraft. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_S-2_Tracker

[@markfrench8892]

OMG! An S-2 with Wright 1820 Radials. Don't see that here in California anymore!

[@user-co8uy5rb2s]

Why not?

[@arcticbeluga9587]

@@user-co8uy5rb2sCalFire’s fleet of S-2s have all been re-engined with Garrett turboprops

[@timirwin6659]

Growing up in New Almaden as a kid and hearing the radials coming over the Santa Cruz mountains (Loma Prieta) would make my dad and I run out of the house with smiles on our faces. Airshows at Holister and sitting next to the loud speaker on the ramp was my favorite thing to do. It was always my ticket to get invited into the base to talk with the crew and drink bug juice.

[@Flyboy207]

As much as I love radial engines, I’m so used to the new S-2T’s from working around (below) them that I think I prefer them. I’ve seen tanker pilots do some remarkable maneuvers in them.

[@brucebillington8336]

What a beautiful airplane, it sounds great. You know the pilots are having a blast flying her.🙂

[@boots_n_coots]

Whooee, that last low pass lifted my toupe clean off my head 🤣

[@jagsdomain203]

Use to live in Winchester CA. Ryan Field is were the fire planes fly out of. WW2 was there for a few years. B17- B24 the single tail type. PBY. S2 C119. Remember going there as a kid and spending the day watching the show.

[@markfrench8892]

Live in Chico, California where Aero Union used B-17s. Got a lot of time crawling in them as a kid. The S-2s that CDF used always sounded like a mini B-17 to me.

[@jagsdomain203]

@@markfrench8892 I hated the new S2 turbo prop. I missed the sound. The white B17 with a red bottom was the one at Ryan. The only part of SoCal I miss are the planes.

[@nybotor1]

I cannot thank you enough for having posted this! Finding any new footage of flying Trackers still equipped with the radial engines is impossible to find now. I live in on the Canadian West Coast, so these things were used for aerial fire fighting a lot, but I was never around to see them fly.

[@valentinbirrer3784]

nice video :) lovely sound, as i believe to know are there Three or four piston engined Trackers flying One was newly rebuild in australia and i guess one or two in US?

[@johnosbourn4312]

This is one of the few S-2's that haven't been reengined with Honeywell TPE331 engines.

[@johnbender5356]

Great airshow in topeka, mother nature was in a bad mood about something, but I loved the show.

[@Nighthawke70]

Yeah, I was up there the week before and go bounced around by the weather. Friends there got trees and property damage from it all.

[@Raidergeek34]

That's an old S2 that used to be owned by calfire

[@mikeframe5450]

...and the Stoof lives on!

[@williamherold1776]

That's an old cal fire bird . Love them R-2800

[@robsalisbury2550]

Love it

[@Hoverfiles]

Great vid!

[@jackirichard414]

Awesome plane.

[@patricioherrerao.9311]

Buen vídeo de este Grumman S-2 Tracker, Bueno el lanzamiento de agua solo falta una manito de pintura para este avión.

[@Forestryman707]

I sure do prefer that turbo sound. Still a beautiful airplane

[@simplyexisting1125]

Im used to seeing red com pouring out of the belly of those as well as being a turboprop. Ive had 1 or 2 of them drop retardant on me.

[@carloshenriquetognoni249]

Boa, noite pessoal. Beleza. Esses, avioes sao show de bola.

[@johnnym.wright7644]

A fire bomber reborn

[@stacyyyowo]

Why do twin radials always sound the best?

[@LordFred69]

cool

[@andrewmontgomery5621]

To those who fight forest fires on a daily basis especially those on the west coast.

[@viperq]

This was owned by Cal Fire/CDF before converting to turboprop.

[@jackirichard414]

Hello.

[@michaellewis7048]

This must be an old air tanker. Those engines sound like they are piston engines. Not a turbo jet prop engine.

[@pigybak]

i ducked!