For those in the aerospace industry, anybody remotely involved in Navy activities, or for Buckeye fans everywhere, a sad day finally arrived on September 25, 2015.  After 56 years, the Navy's T-2 Buckeye trainer jet aircraft is being fully retired.  It may not have been the prettiest plane on the carrier deck, but it was tough and reliable, helping our naval aviators get the jets under their wings for the first time.  Powered by two General Electric J85 engines, the straight-winged plane was well known for its stability to aid in pilot development.  The link, above, to FoxtrotAlpha also includes a nifty video of advanced spin training which the aircraft was known for thanks to that stability.  

The trainer's namesake comes from the the fact that the planes were manufactured by North American at Air Force Plant 85 just a few miles northeast of Columbus, Ohio.

Let's go out and win this one today for the T-2 Buckeye!  We salute you!