Wings folded back, propellers slowly spinning to a stop, the U.S. Navy C-2A Greyhound’s engines powered down on the apron Monday, July 27, outside the venerable aircraft’s new retirement home: the Vietnam-era hangar at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum.
This ship-to-shore cargo aircraft is named Rawhide 52, its call sign. Though production of these planes dates back to 1965, the fleet of Grumman Corp.-built aircraft served American carrier strike groups during Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Flying this aircraft? It’s one of the more demanding piloting platforms. Our autopilot system is very rudimentary, very old, may or may not work. So we are usually hand-flying this thing,” U.S. Navy Lt. Kevyn Brinkman said, standing alongside the plane minutes after landing at Space Coast Regional Airport.
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“Short engine-to-tail, same engines as on a C-130, it’s a lot of power. A lot of torque. A lot of P-factor,” Brinkman said, referring to asymmetric propeller loading.
“It’s very demanding on the rudders — you move your feet more than most aircraft. Labor-intensive, especially coming down to land on a carrier,” he said.
“You are just a marionette, just moving every limb you have,” he said.
The Navy’s last C-2A Greyhound carrier landing occurred in late June, Navy Times reported. On Monday, more than 100 spectators gathered at the Titusville airport to watch Rawhide 52’s final flight from Norfolk, Virginia, to join the warbird museum’s collection.
Per Northrop Grumman’s website, the C-2A Greyhound can deliver a payload weighing up to 10,000 pounds. The cabin is also equipped to accept patients during medical evacuation missions.
“It is primarily the logistics platform for the aircraft carrier, landing on the aircraft carrier once or twice a day delivering (high-priority) cargo and personnel, medevacs, what have you,” Brinkman said.
“So we are the lifeblood for the fleet and for the carrier strike group, bringing all the necessary things to keep the air wing running,” he said.
“Back in the day when it was just mail delivery, we were also the morale guys. Now, we’re more delivering Amazon packages,” he said.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Retired Navy C-2A Greyhound brings carrier aviation history to Florida
