You would be hard pressed to call Grumman's C-2 Greyhound anything other than "utilitarian", but this gull grey and white painted machine holds a special place in my heart as it has enabled me to experience the thrill and violence of catapult shots and arrested landings from the decks of US Navy carriers. I have been fortunate enough to experience two of each. A trap aboard the USS Kitty Hawk off the coast of New South Wales and a trap aboard the USS George Washington off the coast of Western Australia with the catapult shots from The Kitty Hawk off Guam in the Pacific Ocean and the George Washington in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia. So what is it like? Let me say that your first experience of both is an absolute surprise. No matter how much others tell you what to expect, you are still stunned at the absolute violence of it all. The second time around the violence is still there but knowing what to expect; you are well and truly prepared and can relish it.
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