North American T-2 Buckeye

Common card · No. 266730

The North American T-2 Buckeye was a turbojet-powered intermediate training aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. It was primarily operated by the United States Navy (USN). The T-2 was developed during the 1950s to introduce USN and United States Marine Corps (USMC) student naval aviators and student naval flight officers to operating jet-powered aircraft. Originally designated NA-241, it was selected for procurement via a USN competition in the mid-1956. Several elements of the aircraft, including its unswept wing and controls, were derived from other North American aircraft as to lower the cost of development. The T-2 was a relatively forgiving aircraft to fly and thus was well-suited to being operated by inexperienced pilots. The prototype T-2 performed its maiden flight on 31 January 1958 and the type entered USN service during the following year. The T-2 promptly replaced several earlier trainers, such as the Lockheed T2V SeaStar...

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