Instructors used the Buckeye to teach students to recover from 'out of control flight' as it had relatively benign handling characteristics. Intentional spins were permitted in the T-2, unlike its training stablemates, the TA-4J Skyhawk and T-45 Goshawk.

A Buckeye crew receives instructions aboard the USS Harry S Truman following a successful engagement with one of the aircraft carrier’s arrester wires. The Buckeye's wide-track undercarriage and robust construction made it ideal for teaching aircrew to operate from carriers.

A VT-9 T-2C Buckeye pictured just before touchdown on the USS Harry S Truman in July 2003. This was the last time carrier qualifications were performed by the Buckeye.