E-2C Hawkeye

The aircraft carrier’s command and control platform, the Hawkeye has the distinctive feature of a 24-foot diameter circular rotating radar dome atop the fuselage.  The airplane was once nicknamed the “Hummer” because of the noise its four-bladed props made.  The eight-bladed props visible on the museum’s airplane, which create a sound akin to a swarm of bees, increase fuel efficiency and create less vibration on the airframe.  The E-2C on display made its final flight to the museum in May 2014, and is displayed in the markings of its last squadron, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, the Screwtops.