Once upon a time I was a C-1A COD Aircraft Commander (Pilot). Many hours and traps in WESTPAC’s VRC-50 based Cubi Point Philippines. Trained for and also flew C-2 on occasion. C-1A was a wonderful little transport plane. In the 1975-78 time frame it was an expendable back up for Charlie Tuna. Meaning, we regularly flew training / proficiency flights all over the Western Rim of the Pacific Ocean. Chasing down USS Midway, Enterprise, Ranger, Oriskany, Hancock, Kitty Hawk at sea. Daytime overheads, land off load, reload and cat launch or deck run home. That was Subic City, Taipei, Atsugi, ETC. Good duty.
USN plans to replace the C-2A with the Osprey. Good luck with that. No cure for stupid.
Thanks for your service!
I lived in Subic as a dependent, my dad was XO of the base...I spent many hours wandering around the flight line that overlooked the officers beach below. This was in the late Sixties, and nobody seemed to care if a kid was poking his head inside wheel wells and looking at planes...I never had anyone tell me to get lost, and actually had a few pilots let me sit in the cockpit! (I did get nabbed once for stupidly walking across the runway to get to the beach on the other side...they sent out a jeep with a checkered flag and bodily lifted me into the jeep where they took me back for “interrogation”...I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer!
You have had a unique experience...yours is not a huge community, I would think. You saw the world...:)
You and I served in the same time period, I was on the JFK in the Med.
And I agree with your assessment on replacing the C-2A with the Osprey. I think the Osprey will indeed turn out to be a fine platform as they learn over the years how best to use it, but I don’t think it is suited to that role at all.
Like using a sledgehammer to drive in a carpet tack. Doesn’t seem cost effective at all.