The Hickory Aviation Museum’s T-2C Bureau Number 158327 is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation. Numerous local and state aviators began their jet training in the Buckeye. Coordinated by Kyle & Kregg Kirby.

First flown in 1958, T-2 Buckeye (its original designation was T2J-1) jet trainer aircraft were produced for the U.S. Navy by North American Aviation at Columbus, Ohio. T-2 trainers were used by the Naval Air Training Command to conduct basic jet flight training for future Navy and Marine Corps aviators. The trainer established an outstanding record of safety and reliability while providing training for more than 11,000 students to pilot 18 different models of Navy jet aircraft.

Buckeyes also were purchased by Venezuela (T-2D) and Greece (T-2E). The two-place, high-performance T-2 Buckeye was used for a wide variety of pilot training, from the student’s first jet flight to fully qualified flight. The aircraft was used for teaching a wide range of skills, including high-altitude, high-speed formation and aerobatic flights; basic and radio instruments; night and day navigation; and gunnery, bombing and carrier operations.