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Grumman C-1A / TF-1 Trader

History

The C-1 Trader was a carrier-onboard-delivery (COD) aircraft used by the U.S. Navy from the 1950s to the 1980s. Although fewer than 100 prototypes were eventually produced, her airframe was part of other useful and specialized roles in the U.S. Navy during her tenure.

The C-1 itself was developed into two distinct roles (TF-1/C-1A transport aircraft and TF-1Q/EC-1A ECM platform) and shared the same airframe design with similar Grumman "trackers" . and tracer products.

Merchant Source

The

Trader's origins stem from the US Navy's need for a modern anti-submarine warfare aircraft. In 1950, Grumman provided the answer with his Model G89, a fairly compact twin-engine propeller-driven design. The U.S.

Navy named the prototype of the Grumman model XS2F-1 and made its maiden flight on December 4, 1952. Until 1962, the development model was under the designation YS2F-1. Two prototypes were built, followed by fifteen development airframes.

However, the "TF-1 Trader" was born from the S2F tracker (as was the "WF-2 Tracer") when the program produced the "S2F-1 Tracker" oriented towards anti-submarine warfare. Deliveries started in 1954. By comparison, the Trader peaked at just 87, while the Tracker produced about 1,284.

TF-1 becomes C-1, birth of TF-1Q and further development of WF-2

The cabin area of ??the TF-1 can be set up to carry up to 9 adult passengers or up to 3,500 lbs of cargo. She was forked into an electronic countermeasure variant in the rebuilt "TF-1Q", of which only four exist (as part of the 87 production total). The Trader program was further developed to include an improved Airborne Early Warning (AEW) platform, initially known as the "TF-1W", which became the radome-mounted "WF-2 Tracer" (eventually the "E-1 Tracer" "After a name change in 1962).

In 1962, the U.S. military reorganized how it called its aircraft, resulting in a new name for the Trader family. It dropped the original TF-1 designation and changed to "C-1A" . Likewise, the TF-1Q became the EC-1A in the same year. Other aircraft in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S.

Marine Corps and U.S. Army inventory followed suit.

In action

The C-1 dealer fulfilled her rather ignominious obligation to move personnel and supplies from an onshore location to a waiting carrier. During the decades of the Cold War in the 1950s and 1970s, it was used to deliver all-important personal mail to Navy sailors and to deliver cargo to waiting U.S. aircraft carriers around the world. Her role became especially important during the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and her mail delivery was sometimes the only bright spot on these U.S. Navy ships stationed off the coast of Southeast Asia.

To expand her usefulness, the Merchant was also used as an all-weather trainer, helping U.S. Navy pilots witness first-hand how the carrier operates in a variety of conditions. For all her services, the trader has become an oft-forgotten part of U.S. naval aviation history. Her service with the U.S.

Navy ended fairly quietly in 1988, during which time the U.S. Navy became her sole operator.

C-1 Dealer Tour

Trader has a traditional exterior design. The cockpit is mounted at the very front of the fuselage, just behind a short concave nose assembly. The pilot keeps his sight out of the side, front and top windows, with a clear view of the engine. The cabin area is fitted with a series of side-mounted viewing windows, all of their own. The wings are mounted high on the sides of the fuselage and can be folded (just outside each engine nacelle) for better carrier storage.

Each wing has an engine nacelle, and high wing mounts help provide adequate clearance for large diameter propeller blades. Engine nacelles run forward and aft of the front and rear wing edges, respectively. The wings have a unique V-shape in the design. The hull tapers amidships and collapses to form the bottom of the empennage.

The tail is dominated by a large vertical rear wing with a swept leading edge surface and rounded/truncated tip. Horizontal planes are added to either side of the fins and feature a strong V shape forming a "Y" at the tail. The landing gear is a traditional tricycle arrangement consisting of two main (single wheel) undercarriages and one front (two wheel) undercarriage. The main legs are retracted aft on the corresponding underside of the engine nacelle, while the nose gear legs - attached to the very forward part of the fuselage - are retracted aft under the flight deck floor.

The bottom of the stern has a stern hook and a small stern wheel - both can be retracted. The standard crew consists of two pilots sitting side by side in the cockpit.

Power and Performance

The engines were a pair of Wright R-1820-82WA Cyclone 9-cylinder radial piston engines, each producing 1,525 horsepower, turning a large three-bladed propeller. Performance includes a top speed of 287 mph and a range of nearly 1,300 miles.

The Trader maintains an empty weight of 18,750 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of nearly 29,150 pounds.