The C-1A Trader was developed by Grumman from the S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft to serve as a carrier onboard delivery (COD) transport and all-weather training aircraft. It first flew in January 1955. Besides its crew and passengers, it could carry cargo, with a built-in cage system to secure freight during carrier landings. Eighty-seven C-1As were built, and by the late 1980s roughly thirty remained in Navy service. Several allied nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, and Turkey, also operated versions of the Trader.
Aircraft Specifications
Physical Description
All-metal, high-wing, twin-engine aircraft with a boxy fuselage for cargo and passengers, and wings that fold upward for carrier storage.
Crew: 3 (pilot, copilot, air crewman) (plus capacity for 8 passengers)
Length: 42 ft.
Wingspan: 69 ft 8 in
Height: 16’ ft 3.5 in
Weight (empty / max takeoff): 16,630 lbs / 24,600 lbs
Powerplant: Two Wright R-1820-82WA radial piston engines, 1,525 horsepower each
Maximum speed: 280 mph
Range: 1,100 miles
Service ceiling: 24,800 ft
Weapons
None. The C-1A was an unarmed transport aircraft.
Key Accomplishments
Served as a vital carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft, ferrying personnel, mail, and high-priority cargo — including small jet engines — between shore bases and aircraft carriers at sea.
A current museum volunteer flew this actual aircraft, accumulating approximately 150 flight hours and 15 carrier arrested landings.
Build Date
1957
Manufacturer
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
Dates of Service
1957 – 1987
Country of Origin
United States
Inventory Number
Bureau #146034
Credit
On loan from The National Naval Aviation Museum on behalf of the Navy History and Heritage Command.
Display Status
This aircraft (Bureau #146034) was the 64th of 87 C-1As built. It served with multiple squadrons and aboard several ships, including duty at Naval Air Facility Sigonella, Italy, and Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. After leaving VRC-40, the aircraft went to the rework facility in Norfolk, after which it was one of three CODs operated out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove in support of the USS Independence during the carrier’s major overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. After its last flight in March 1987, the aircraft was placed on display at Willow Grove. The Museum acquired it in 1988, and it remained on display until undergoing restoration beginning in 2007.
Status: On display.
