Grumman C-2A Greyhound aircrew

[tomdocherty72]

Any current or ex- C-2A Greyhound aircrew about on this forum? Looking for information.

 

[tomdocherty72]

Fifty years of service and not one reply from any Greyhound aircrew. Where are you all hiding. Someone on this forum must have flown the type surely?

 

[Fearless Tower]

Fifty years of service and not one reply from any Greyhound aircrew. Where are you all hiding. Someone on this forum must have flown the type surely?

We have a few guys who are fighter pilots and some P-3 folks, but I don't know of any E-2/C-2 folks hanging around this board.

I live under the traffic pattern of Chambers Field and have plenty of experience looking at the underside of C-2s doing patternwork. Does that count?

 

[German guy]

I just looked them up on youtube - these are impressive birds for sure. Being a passenger during a carrier launch certainly isn't for the faint of heart:
http://youtu.be/-7oO-MJ9ynE Holy smokes!
http://youtu.be/6vlK5YIeFQE

 

[35 AoA]

I know a few of them and will be their passenger in a couple short days.....I'm not a fan of riding the COD.....but they are around

 

[S Joslin]

I've been a pax on one. One cat shot and one trap, does that count?

 

[Fearless Tower]

I know a few of them and will be their passenger in a couple short days.....I'm not a fan of riding the COD.....but they are around

A Hornet guy's gotta ride the COD out to the boat? That sucks right there!

 

[gkainz]

1000 hours in the hummer but 0 in the COD for me. Good friend of mine was a greyhound pilot - I could pass on questions if you want.

 

[tomdocherty72]

Thanks Fearless, but I don't think it counts!

 

[tomdocherty72]

Thanks 35 AoA,

Don't suppose you could overcome your fear of COD flying and ask the pilots to contact me?

 

[tomdocherty72]

Hi S Joslin, no, not really!

 

[tomdocherty72]

Hi Greg, that would be great. I am hoping to get responses from Greyhound pilots about:

The flying characteristics of the C-2A.
Was/is it an easy aircraft to fly?
Was/is it an effective means of supplying carriers?
What were/are the dangers of flying the type - could you get into trouble easily on the edge of its flight envelope?
Was/is the cockpit ergonomically easy to work in or was it a bit like being a one-armed paper hanger?
What was its strongest virtue?
What was its greatest vice?
Was/is it an easy aircraft to learn to fly?

Hopefully some of your contacts will respond. If you need my email address send me a PM and I will let you have it.

Thanks

Tom

 

[S Joslin]

Hi S Joslin, no, not really!

Yep. I was aboard the USS Nimitz attached to VMFA-314 during the '97-'98 "World Cruise". The boat was in the Persian Gulf doing it's normal "on station" routine. One of our F/A-18's had engine problems during a mission and had to land at an airbase in Kuwait. Our squadron sent a handful of mechs, from the Nimitz, into Kuwait to fix the broke jet.

One cat shot in the COD, COD lands in Kuwait, picks us up a couple of days later, one trap in the COD. Not the most enjoyable flying experience I've ever had...