NASA Glenn announced the retirement of, and suggests the final flight of an S-3 Viking may occur sometime next week.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2021 ... -its-fleet


I can’t find much confirmed flight info yet, except I know it’s being retired to the San Diego Air and Space Museum. If anybody has any leads (airport, date, time) I would like to watch it land for the final time in San Diego! It’s my favorite airplane of all time.

Here’s to the Lockheed S-3 Viking !!!

Big fan of the S3 myself, always thought it was a cool aircraft and found the navy’s decision to retire them quite bizarre

Max Q wrote:

Big fan of the S3 myself, always thought it was a cool aircraft and found the navy’s decision to retire them quite bizarre

I'm sure there were legitimate reasons, but, yes, bizarre that the US Navy, of all services, doesn't really have a fixed-wing carrier-borne ASW platform anymore.

I always found it a very cute aircraft. Bye, S-3!

Unless the design is patented why not build a new one with updated metals, avionics and a new engine?
Still a tube with wings and with more nations getting into submarines, the helo's will struggle with transit times, time on station and despatch reliability.
I accept that the Military Industrial Complex would prefer to reap billions with new design etc etc etc, but new builds using an existing design is possible. Imagine how much money could be made if a company decided to make old warbirds with modern engines.....

whpbur wrote:

If anybody has any leads (airport, date, time) I would like to watch it land for the final time in San Diego! It’s my favorite airplane of all time.

Here’s to the Lockheed S-3 Viking !!!

Seconding this, I'm in the area and would love to see it land if possible.

I found some info:

Call sign NASA 601.
Tuesday July 13, 2021.
Departing CLE around 9 AM, weather permitting.
Expected ~one hour fuel stop in ELP.
Arriving El Cajon Gillespie Field SEE between 2 PM and 4 PM.

flyingturtle wrote:

I always found it a very cute aircraft. Bye, S-3!

Not sure I'd go so far as to say "cute," but I do think it's a deceptively good-looking aircraft. And I love the "Hoover" nickname.

It seemed to be a uniquely capable aircraft, with long endurance, able to rapidly go out as far as needed from the carrier and hunt for submarines and carry a large weapons load to defend the carrier from these threats if necessary

I don’t see how a helicopter can do the same job

Count me in as a big aficionado of the S-3 Viking. Back when flight decks and airports hosted a far greater variety of flying machines, the purposeful, modern (!) design and evident flexibility of the Viking struck a chord. Its wings' thickness is impressive, especially when seen from a fully frontal view - no wonder it had such an impressive range. Of course, range, versatility, and cost-effectiveness are just not in demand anymore.

With a ferry range of 3,368 nmi, I always thought this would make for a very unique bizjet for the discerning milli/billionaire.

Already done, Challenger 604/605; better everything and cheaper.

The Drive had this looong article from a couple of years ago on the S-3 in the late cold war period. Guy seems a bit of a character!

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... e-cold-war

SeamanBeaumont wrote:

The Drive had this looong article from a couple of years ago on the S-3 in the late cold war period. Guy seems a bit of a character!

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... e-cold-war

First of all, best screen name I've seen here ever. Well done. My favorite book and favorite movie.

Second of all, why the hell did you have to post that? You have just added a ton to my reading "to-do" list.

Seriously, that looks amazing. That could basically be a book it's so long with all 4 parts. I have so much to catch up on in reading, and now this. lol

Thanks for the share.

San Diego Air and Space Museum Press Release:

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/blog/ar ... spie-field

SeJoWa wrote:

Count me in as a big aficionado of the S-3 Viking. Back when flight decks and airports hosted a far greater variety of flying machines, the purposeful, modern (!) design and evident flexibility of the Viking struck a chord. Its wings' thickness is impressive, especially when seen from a fully frontal view - no wonder it had such an impressive range. Of course, range, versatility, and cost-effectiveness are just not in demand anymore.

I think it was ‘The Final Countdown’ that was filmed in what to me was the most interesting time in history for carrier aviation, the variety of aircraft on board then was incredible

IIRC on one carrier there’d be the :

F14

A6 Attack

A6E Jammer

A7

F8

Vigilante

S3 Viking

E2 Hawkeye

Plus numerous helicopters and other aircraft



An interesting time


Now it’s just the F18, great aircraft but boring

par13del wrote:

Unless the design is patented why not build a new one with updated metals, avionics and a new engine?
Still a tube with wings and with more nations getting into submarines, the helo's will struggle with transit times, time on station and despatch reliability.
I accept that the Military Industrial Complex would prefer to reap billions with new design etc etc etc, but new builds using an existing design is possible. Imagine how much money could be made if a company decided to make old warbirds with modern engines.....

It has nothing to do with patents. Design information is proprietary information that is protected as long as the company exists and makes an effort to protect it.

Converting an old design to a modern design with modern material and manufacturing techniques is highly labor intensive and time consuming. We engineers do not have the Star Trek computer to do the menial work for us.

bt

Though not entirely surprising the S-3 was taken off ASW after the Cold War, though more recent developments in the sub fleet and weapons that China has it could be argued shown the need again.
But ASW choppers and escorts and a new MPA fleet have not stood still in terms of ASW, to me though it surprising that the ESM version and in particular this role went as well;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_ ... ueling.jpg

San Diego news story:

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-new ... from-nasa/

cjg225 wrote:

SeamanBeaumont wrote:

The Drive had this looong article from a couple of years ago on the S-3 in the late cold war period. Guy seems a bit of a character!

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3 ... e-cold-war

First of all, best screen name I've seen here ever. Well done. My favorite book and favorite movie.

Second of all, why the hell did you have to post that? You have just added a ton to my reading "to-do" list.

Seriously, that looks amazing. That could basically be a book it's so long with all 4 parts. I have so much to catch up on in reading, and now this. lol

Thanks for the share.

I want to thank you too, SeamanBeaumont! The story is enthralling. The 21 years old guy being told to tell whether the sub is blue or red... in a war, he'd decide the fates of dozens of sailors.

whpbur wrote:

San Diego news story:

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-new ... from-nasa/

Ah, I walked past the Fox 5 crew on my way back to my car!

Sneaky NASA pilots used 9L rather than the runway in use 27R to land. Disappointed a bunch of photographers!

Hey guys,
My one and only spotting of a Viking is also one of my all-time favourite spottings of any plane...
It was in Sydney, around 1988 (the Bicentennary), Ansett terminal...
My planespotter mate and I were standing there like usual taking photos of all the usual Aussie domestic stuff when we heard an engine noise very different to the usual CFMs around that time... as I craned my neck a Viking taxied past right next to the end of the terminal heading towards what we called the' VIP area' behind the Qantas/Australian domestic terminal. We both missed the shots altogether as it happened so fast and I had a 300mm lens on my camera at the time making photos near-impossible with the Viking taxying so close to the terminal.
My planespotter mate and I were gobsmacked. Vikings were to us incredibly rare, exotic aircraft NEVER seen around our part of Australia. We had no idea why a Viking had flown into Sydney (as opposed to Richmond RAAF base) and where it had gone. We had both failed to see it land (presumably on the 'cross runway' of SYD) with our attention on the main runway...
Approximately 30 minutes later however, we heard the same weird engine noise, grabbed our 'short' lens and managed to get a couple of photos of the Viking as it taxied past in the opposite direction, again at high speed, and flew off the main runway over Botany Bay, as we scrambled to change lens again to try and get 'take off' photos (without much success)!!!
It wasn't until I had the prints developed the next day (remember, this was pre-digital) that we realised that on the left hand side of the Viking, behind the cockpit windows, was an RAAF-style kangaroo minus the circle ....
To this day I have no idea what it was all about. I have never heard of any other Vikings flying in/out of SYD. No idea why the kangaroo was painted on it nor why it was on the ground for such a short period of time. My mate and I presumed that a US carrier must have been sailing along the NSW coast somewhere 'discretely' at the time ... And before anyone suggests, this took place well AFTER the Bicentennial celebrations and the incredible Bicentennial Air Show at Richmond, where there were numerous US military jets on display.
I'd be thrilled if anyone here on a.net knew about this or what it could possibly have been about.
Take care,
Bunumuring

I think if the Navy wants a fixed wing ASW platform in the future they will find a way to use the V-22 Osprey

bunumuring wrote:

Hey guys,
My one and only spotting of a Viking is also one of my all-time favourite spottings of any plane...
It was in Sydney, around 1988 (the Bicentennary), Ansett terminal...
My planespotter mate and I were standing there like usual taking photos of all the usual Aussie domestic stuff when we heard an engine noise very different to the usual CFMs around that time... as I craned my neck a Viking taxied past right next to the end of the terminal heading towards what we called the' VIP area' behind the Qantas/Australian domestic terminal. We both missed the shots altogether as it happened so fast and I had a 300mm lens on my camera at the time making photos near-impossible with the Viking taxying so close to the terminal.
My planespotter mate and I were gobsmacked. Vikings were to us incredibly rare, exotic aircraft NEVER seen around our part of Australia. We had no idea why a Viking had flown into Sydney (as opposed to Richmond RAAF base) and where it had gone. We had both failed to see it land (presumably on the 'cross runway' of SYD) with our attention on the main runway...
Approximately 30 minutes later however, we heard the same weird engine noise, grabbed our 'short' lens and managed to get a couple of photos of the Viking as it taxied past in the opposite direction, again at high speed, and flew off the main runway over Botany Bay, as we scrambled to change lens again to try and get 'take off' photos (without much success)!!!
It wasn't until I had the prints developed the next day (remember, this was pre-digital) that we realised that on the left hand side of the Viking, behind the cockpit windows, was an RAAF-style kangaroo minus the circle ....
To this day I have no idea what it was all about. I have never heard of any other Vikings flying in/out of SYD. No idea why the kangaroo was painted on it nor why it was on the ground for such a short period of time. My mate and I presumed that a US carrier must have been sailing along the NSW coast somewhere 'discretely' at the time ... And before anyone suggests, this took place well AFTER the Bicentennial celebrations and the incredible Bicentennial Air Show at Richmond, where there were numerous US military jets on display.
I'd be thrilled if anyone here on a.net knew about this or what it could possibly have been about.
Take care,
Bunumuring

The noise of a Hoover might be one of my favorite things about it.

Always had a soft spot for the Viking. They were an impressive visitor at the Moffett NAS airshow when I was a kid.