The Navy's first purpose-built jet trainer came from the same
firm which produced the venerable SNJ/T-6 Texan - North American
Aviation. Seeking a type that could take student pilots from
intermediate flight training up through carrier qualification,
the Navy approved the new jet design in 1956 and within three
years the Buckeye was entering training squadron service.
Featuring superb cockpit visibility and docile handling characteristics,
for more than thirty years the T-2 was the workhorse for carrier
qualification, basic tactics, and over-water navigation. Only in
recent years has it been supplanted by the license-built British
Aerospace T-45 Goshawk. This particular example is a T-2B with twin
Pratt and Whitney J60 trubojets.
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