E-2 Question- Help Needed!

[tulsaboy]

Hello all-

We are scheduled to have an E-2 visit our museum next week, but I need to know how high the wing sits off of the ground. I am looking for the dimension of ground to the bottom side of the wing. We need to get it through our gate, and the wing may have to hang over the fence. Can anyone help?

Thanks so much!!!

kevin

[jdvoss]

I might suggest that you contact the USS Midway (San Diego, CA) as they have an E-2 sitting on the flight deck. www.midway.org

[Jack Cook]

Email the visiting E-2 squadron contact or PAO and just ask them

[tulsaboy]

Thanks Jack- can't get hold of them. Have had trouble getting them to call back, as they're on the road. Anyone know? Anyone?

Oh, and Jack... NP-1 in the hangar as of today. Photos to come...

kevin

[Jerry O'Neill]

Call them and ask them when they taxi up to fold their wings and if you can't get a hold of them contact the tower and have them forward your request when they touch down..
Jerry

[tulsaboy]

Keep the suggestions coming guys. Jerry, we suggested the wing folding to the guys. They told us that when flying cross-country, SOP is to never, never fold the wings unless at a Navy base where the guys could fix it if the wings refused to unfold. Basically, they don't want to get stuck with folded wings. Our gate is smaller than the wingspan of an E-2, so the question is whether or not we can slide the aircraft between the sides of the gates with the wings hanging over the fence. We've done that with a B-24, so the hope was that it would work with an E-2 as well.

kevin

[Jerry O'Neill]

Keep the suggestions coming guys. Jerry, we suggested the wing folding to the guys. They told us that when flying cross-country, SOP is to never, never fold the wings unless at a Navy base where the guys could fix it if the wings refused to unfold. Basically, they don't want to get stuck with folded wings. Our gate is smaller than the wingspan of an E-2, so the question is whether or not we can slide the aircraft between the sides of the gates with the wings hanging over the fence. We've done that with a B-24, so the hope was that it would work with an E-2 as well.

kevin

How tall is the fence?
Jerry

[tulsaboy]

9 1/2 feet

kevin

[Brad]

According to the -1, the wingtips are 10'1'' from the ground. I'm not sure how much dihedral is involved so I don't know if it's lower at the nacelle. The manual doesn't really say much. I'll keep looking though.

[Jerry O'Neill]

I would judge that as pretty close. I'm 6'4" and I can walk under the wing, reach up and not touch it, but it's also not too far away from my hand.
Any chance of pulling the fence post out? Even temporarily?
We use to do it every time we brought an aircraft that flew into the New England Air Museum. Just detached one link of chain and then lifted the pole out of the ground, concrete and all, with a fork lift. Granted it was in a grass area and not sunk into a concrete ramp.
Jerry

[tulsaboy]

Thanks, Brad! We really need the dimension outboard of the engine nacelles, as the engines and props should fit through the gate. It's just the outer wing panels that will swing out over the fence. Additionally, I'm sure that the engines and props will fit through the gate. But does the manual have that dimension? Specifically the outer edge of the prop to the outer edge of the prop.

Thanks!

kevin

[Jerry O'Neill]

If it's tight and you have a universal military tow bar, you might have them shut down outside the fence and then tow it in slowly.
Jerry

[Jack Cook]

If Brad can't find it pick out any E-2 sqd and email the PAO.

[Brad]

Thanks, Brad! We really need the dimension outboard of the engine nacelles, as the engines and props should fit through the gate. It's just the outer wing panels that will swing out over the fence. Additionally, I'm sure that the engines and props will fit through the gate. But does the manual have that dimension? Specifically the outer edge of the prop to the outer edge of the prop.

Thanks!

kevin

35' 5" from prop disk to prop disk as it's called in the book. I'd just say tip to tip on the blades. The only dimension for the wing clearance is the tips but it doesn't look like the engine/wing joint is much lower judging by the picture. I'll keep looking and see if I can find anything of more use.

[tulsaboy]

OK! Thanks guys! Jerry, I'm gonna sound like a Negative Nancy here... we can't pull the fence posts because the fence is part of an airport perimeter fence controlled by the airport security folks, and we sit right on the runway of Tulsa International Airport. S that kinda complicates things a bit, if we want to start pulling fenceposts. And we wanted to tug them in, but they said that their SOP is not to let anyone but Navy personnel do the tugging. Our new director is a former E-2 and F-18 pilot, but even that won't work. So it leaves us feeling like we're beating our heads against a brick wall. If it can't come, it can't come... but it's spring break, and the kids will find it to be a really fun, different aircraft to see. So we'd really like to make it happen.

I need to add that the real answer to all of this is that we need a bigger ramp and a much bigger gate. And those are on their way. But that's not gonna get done next week.

kevin