Grumman C-1 Trader

C-1 Trader
A C-1A Trader from Naval Air Station, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania in 1987
Role Transport
Manufacturer Grumman
First flight 4 December 1952
Retired 1988
Primary user United States Navy
Number built 87
Developed from Grumman S-2 Tracker
Developed into Grumman E-1 Tracer

The Grumman C-1 Trader is a carrier onboard delivery (COD) variant of the Grumman S-2 Tracker. It was replaced by a similar version of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, the Grumman C-2 Greyhound.

Design and development

The C-1 Trader grew out of a need by the United States Navy for a new anti-submarine airplane. In response to this Grumman began development on a prototype twin-engine, high-wing aircraft which it designated the G-89. In 1952 the Navy designated this aircraft the XS2F-1 and flew it for the first time on December 4 that year. During the rest of the 1950s three major variants emerged, the C-1 Trader being one of them. The C-1 (originally the TF-1) was outfitted to carry nine passengers or 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg) of cargo and first flew in January 1955.

Operational history

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the C-1 Trader carried mail and supplies to aircraft carriers on station in the Pacific Ocean during the Vietnam War and also served as a trainer for all-weather carrier operations. Over its production life 87 C-1 Traders were built, of which four were converted into EC-1A Tracer electronic countermeasures aircraft.[1] The last C-1 was retired from USN service in 1988; it was the last radial-engine aircraft in U.S military service. As of 2010, approximately ten were still airworthy in civil hands, operating as warbirds.

In August 2010, Brazilian Naval Aviation announced that it will buy and modernize eight C-1 to serve in carrier onboard delivery (COD) and aerial refueling roles for use on its aircraft carrier São Paulo.[2]

Variants

Grumman C-1 at Willow Grove
C-1A onboard USS Coral Sea
TF-1
Carrier Onboard Delivery version of the S-2 Tracker with enlarged fuselage for nine passengers, redesignated C-1A in 1962, 87 built.
TF-1Q
Electronic Countermeasures conversion of the TF-1, redesignated EC-1A in 1962, four conversions.
TF-1W
Airborne Early Warning project that was developed in the WF-2 Tracer.
C-1A
TF-1 redesignated in 1962.
EC-1A
TF-1Q redesignated in 1962.
KC-2 Turbo Trader
Marsh Aviation modernization project for Air-to-Air Refueling, requested for the Brazilian Navy.[3]

Operators

 United States
 Brazil

Preserved aircraft

Airworthy
On display

Specifications

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. Donald, David; Daniel J. March (2001). Carrier Aviation Air Power Directory. Norwalk, CT: AIRtime Publishing. ISBN 1-880588-43-9. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)
  2. Brazilian navy buys Traders
  3. "Brazilian Traders set for modernisation" Fight Global, 14 Dec 2011 Retrieved: 23 December 2011
  4. "FAA Registry/N71456." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  5. "FAA Registry/N6193Z." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  6. "FAA Registry/N6193N." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  7. "FAA Registry/N778SR." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  8. "FAA Registry/136781." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  9. "Grumman C-1A Trader/136781." Pacific Coast Air Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  10. "FAA Registry/N189G." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  11. "FAA Registry/N7171M." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  12. "FAA Registry/N81389." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  13. "FAA Registry/N81193." faa.gov Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  14. "Grumman C-1A Trader/136754." National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  15. "Grumman C-1A Trader/136790." Grissom Air Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  16. "Grumman C-1A Trader/136792." Quonset Air Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  17. "Grumman C-1A Trader/146034." Wings of Freedom Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  18. "Grumman C-1A Trader/146034." USS Midway Museum. Retrieved: 27 April 2016.
  19. "Grumman C-1A Trader/146045." aerialvisuals.ca Retrieved: 27 April 2016.

External links

Media related to Grumman C-1 Trader at Wikimedia Commons

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