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WHEEL CHAIR SEVEN
TF-1Z
BUNO 136791
On the morning of July 9th, 1956 (
at 0948 to be exact ) Joseph Gaeta of Grumman Iron Works, lifted off
Grumman Aircraft's newest addition to the Navy Fleet, from the runway
at Bethpage, Long Island. One hour
and two minutes later he set her back down again from the first of many
flights spanning the last
41 years. It is lost to history just exactly what happened during
that flight, but it was noted that it was rather uneventful. The rest of her life has not always been that
way.
The Navy's first official C.O.D.'s ( [C]arrier [O]nboard
[D]elivery ) were the TBM's of the 40's and 50's that had their
interiors configured to accommodated cargo and passengers. These
planes were normally a part of the ship's company, or attached to
some near by Naval Air Station. However, during, and after, the
Korean War most were attached to a number of squadrons, including VR-21, to which 136791 would be attached in
the future. In the early 50's, many of the TBM's were replaced by
AD-3's, and -4's, which also had their interiors reconfigured.
Then came the TF-1.......
The Grumman TF-1 Trader ( later redesiginated the C-1A ) was the
first aircraft built from the ground up to perform the C.O.D. duties
that still are carried on by a Grumman aircraft, the C-2 Greyhound,
supplemented by the Lockheed US-3A ' Hoover ' which is a conversion
of the S-3A Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft. The C.O.D. is
normally the most welcome aircraft to be retrieved aboard ship as
they bring the mail, the fresh fruit and vegetables, your
replacement, and your ride home. LCDR. Tex Houston tells of a take
off from a carrier on Yankee Station on Christmas Day where he heard
some pounding on his side window. Looking out to see who and why some
one was trying to get his attention, he saw a " Green Shirt
" holding up the palm of his hand, where there was written in
ball point,
"
GOT THREE GREAT LETTERS!!
THANKS C.O.D.
MERRY XMAS! "
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