Airborne Command & Control and Logistics Wing (ACCLOGWING) leadership and Sailors assigned to VRC-40 welcomed the crew after their eleven-hour flight from Naval Air Station North Island to land their last C-2A Greyhound which will be used by VRC-40 for the next several years. VRC-30 will officially sundown later this year.
VRC-30 began flying the C-2A Greyhound aircraft in 1981 and continued to use the aircraft for carrier onboard delivery (COD) to transport passengers, equipment, gear and supplies around the fleet for 42 years.
Cmdr. James Light, VRC-30’s commanding officer, participated in the final flight which also signified his last flying mission of his naval career as he is expected to retire from the Navy. Light has accumulated more than 2,900 flight hours and 200 carrier arrested landings in the C-2A including arrestments on all ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.
“It has been the greatest ride in the world,” Light added reflecting on a career spent supporting logistics movement of manpower and equipment.
Capt. Scott A. Wastak, Commander, ACCLOGWING, was on hand to meet the crew when they arrived at NAS Norfolk. He congratulated the crew for their long-standing dedication to the Greyhound mission.
“A truly historic event for our community and the Navy. The end of an era that is now part of Naval Aviation legacy. Logistics are a critical enabler to warfighting readiness and VRC-30 was instrumental to delivering readiness to the fleet,” Wastak said.
Similar to Light, Cmdr. Jesse King, VRC-30’s executive officer, who also participated in the final flight will retire at the end of 2023.
“This is an amazing aircraft that has supported the needs of the Navy,” King added, who has accumulated more than 2,500 flight hours and 150 carrier landings flying the C-2A.
Lt. Cmdr. Joe Swindel who flew a portion of the flight to Norfolk with Light and King, shared his experiences flying the C-2A.
“This is the platform that made me an aviator,” said Swindel, who flew the C-2A for the past twelve years through four deployments.
The C-2A Greyhound will remain in use on the east coast for several more years before they too will eventually be replaced by the MV-22 Osprey as the only COD aircraft used for all aircraft carriers.