The jets get all the glory but for the airshow to take place it needed the trusty Northrup Grumman E2C "Hawkeye" to be launched so it could be like an flying control tower that monitored the weather and any boats or aircraft etc. that may be around. We sailed about 50 miles off the coast of the Georgia and the Carolinas so they did not want to interfere with any commercial flights etc !
I liked these aircraft as they sat with their wings folded and then as they approached the launching catapult the wings would swing into place and then the launch would take place with the twin- turboprops roaring as it flew away for the rest of the day.
"The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft.
Variants of the Hawkeye have been in continuous production since 1960, giving it the longest production run of any carrier-based aircraft. " (Wikipedia info )
(Ken H photos..)
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