I spent my four years in Naval Aviation as Crash Crew onboard USS RANGER from 84 to 86 and then swapped duty with a guy and went to USS CORAL SEA from 86 to 88.
Pugs,
I thought those T45s were T2 buckeyes?
And glad you were there! My Cousin is still in the Reserves as an Aviation Bosun Chief but when he was active duty was deployed on Danger Ranger doing flight deck firefighting circa 90-93. Ranger and the Coral Maru are about the only two old ships I don't have traps on. Prowlers were too heavy for the Lex.
The T-2 is gone. Retired in 2008. I think VT-10 was the last one to fly them or maybe it was Test Pilot school since it was such a great spin trainer . No matter what your fleet aircraft's procedure was to get you out of a spin it worked in the T-2. We did upright an inverted spins in VT-10 as a demo item. Mostly I think it was to prove they can always make you puke.
The T-45 had a long period of gestation but had turned into a good trainer and some have been upgraded to glass cockpits and with GPS Nav.
