It's A Plane! No, It's A Helicopter! (Osprey CV-22)

Tampa Tribune ^ | 5-22-08 | Keith Morelli

[STARWISE]

Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Sheets has been a pilot for 13 years, but when he switched to the new Osprey troop and cargo carrier, "it was like learning how to fly all over again."

Even if you're just along for the ride, like civilians who got a demonstration Wednesday morning, the CV-22 Osprey takes some getting used to. Especially at the moment of truth, when this one-of-a-kind, helicopter-airplane hybrid switches from one mode of flight to the other - in midair.

Critics disagree, but the Pentagon insists it worked out all the bugs for pilots such as Sheets during a 25-year, problem-plagued development period that included cost overruns, technical failures and two deadly crashes in 2000 that killed 23 Marines.

Sheets has been flying the Osprey about four years now, and hasn't looked back.

"We did a redesign of the engines and the gearboxes on the wings," he said, and the problems were solved. "We've got a clean bill of health."

Named for the nimble fish hawk common across the Tampa Bay area, the Osprey can carry 24 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo into battle. It was part of a cutting-edge arsenal displayed at MacDill as part of a weeklong tribute to the group based there that often gets such weaponry first: the Special Operations Command.

Also on display at the Tampa military base were menacing go-fast attack boats, a long-range C-130 Hercules that sends radio and television signals to the ground below, and a couple of decked-out Humvees.

However, the Osprey with its huge rotors, swiveling engine pods, stubby wings and checkered past stole the show.

It's the next big thing in the global war on terror, or, as Air Force Chief Warrant Officer Tony Howdeshell called it, the "GWOT."

[STARWISE]

"....it was clear from the beginning that this was a different bird. Even taxiing was different: The two engines and their huge propellers are rotated slightly forward to provide some forward motion, then they're swiveled back to helicopter mode for takeoff.

The Osprey lifted slowly, straight up into the air.

Passengers couldn't see the moment of truth through their small rear windows, but they could feel it. The Osprey segued from hovering to slight forward motion, then the pilot gave it the gas and it zoomed ahead like the airplane it had become."

Video - Black Five's Uncle Jimbo gets a ride in the Osprey at MacDill AFB

Video - Unfolding the V-22 on board ship

~~~~~

That is truly WILD!

~~~~

Socom Demonstrates Helicopter-Plane Hybrid

Excerpt:

"The Air Force is planning to introduce the aircraft into combat in Afghanistan and Iraq by next year. Special Operations Command wants to purchase 50 Ospreys within 10 years.

Each one costs about $85 million."

U.S. Forces Need To Be Warriors, Diplomats, Socom Chief Says

Excerpt:

"[American special forces] woke up in about 65 countries of the world today," said Adm. Eric Olson, a Navy SEAL and head of the MacDill-based Special Operations Command. "We're doing exactly the types of activities that contribute to building cooperation [with other national militaries]."

They include small unit training, engineering projects and civil affairs work - the day-to-day work of building and strengthening of allies - that will help isolate insurgencies and terrorism and solidify "kinetic" battlefield combat victories.

"The kinetic end of our business is vital and necessary, but it's the non-kinetic that will be decisive," said Olson. "Kinetic actions buy time for the non-kinetic to have a chance to be decisive."

It was a message suited to the gathering where Olson delivered it: International Special Operations Forces Week, a sort of worldwide convention of the special operations community centered this year on Socom and Tampa. The event runs through Friday and includes dozens of countries."

[STARWISE]

~~~DING !

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Red_Devil 232]

The Marines are loving this aircraft in Iraq! Like a Cadalic!

[Michael.SF.]

The Bell website has some excellent pictures of the V-22:

[STARWISE]

Stunning ..!

God bless and protect our heroes.

[SES1066]

This aircraft, the Osprey, has been a long time in development and we (as a country and as taxpayers) have certainly paid for it. I'm very happy to see it go operational. It will be an advance in the technology and capability for our military.

What we will need to remember though, is that, as an operational military aircraft, it will have crashes and since it is a transport aircraft, there will be horrible cost of life. Every time that this happens, the critics will grab the headlines and point with alarm to its history(!) and cost and say the equivalent of 'lets go back to helicopters', forgetting that they are also expensive and dangerous.

[Severa]

*JAWDROP* That Youtube video you posted of the V-22 unfolding is one that my husband (FR screen name Hostel) made during a recent detachment! (he works on the V-22 for Dyncorp)

[OBXWanderer]

Oh man, rnwy 22 at MacDill. Only time I ever got to go supersonic. Back seat of an E model, 1973. And that E model had a “Hat in the Ring” emblem embellished on it. Straight out departure takes you right over the Sunshine Skyway.

[STARWISE]

Awesome! God bless him and you
for your service. That IS a
wild, wild craft.

[Severa]

Thanks much. *Grins* Got another V-22 video for you :

V-22 Osprey Roll

[rlmorel]

What you have said is absolutely true. We need to prepare for it. Hell, we had a B2 crash recently...that is as good an example of the truth of what you said as anything.

And you are right. Sadly, there are many rabid critics who WANT one to crash. I know, I have had many exchanges with them. It is probably true that for many of them, their nearly fanatical hatred and criticism of the Osprey springs from a desire to have our troops safe, and many of them look at this as a fat, bloated, obsolete, government bred turkey forced on the troops.

They forget that there is very little in the military that has “today’s” technology. Even the B2 is primarily 80’s and early 90’s technology, and the shuttle was largely early 70’s technology. That’s the way the military acquisition pipeline works.

And they also forget the nature of the military. They practice long and hard, and equipment is constantly destroyed and lives lost. It is a dirty secret that many of us who were in military aviation know: Planes crash all the time all over the world, and good people die and are injured. When I was in, just on the one ship I was on I saw five aircraft go down with my own eyes. Granted, that was over four years, but we were just one unit. Civilians don’t hear much about the crashes unless they are in a populated area, it is a plane like a B2, or a lot of people are killed. Otherwise, you generally only hear about it in the regional media.

Yep. The critics are silent now, but when the first accident happens to an operational aircraft, we will hear from them again. Count on it.

[STARWISE]

Just .. wild ... ;)

[Leisler]

Anyone with any economic education, knows that there are things seen and unseen. In this case we see the 18 billion dollar development cost of the Osprey. Plus the up coming purchasing costs, so say 25 billion, throw in another 5 billion lifetime. 30billion. What isn't seen is what this money kept from being used for.

The Osprey will never, ever, carry but a few percentages of total personal and cargo of even the Marines. It's a very niche product, that in 99 percent of case can be served by existing platforms. (Yeah, yeah I know, Navy Seals under such conditions, at such and such distance.... nothing can touch it.)

[MosesKnows]

huge propellers are rotated slightly forward

It would have to be ever so slightly forward else those huge propellers will strike the ground.

Something else I've seen that is rarely mentioned; the entire V22 can be partially dismantled and inserted into a C17.

[MosesKnows]

The Osprey will never, ever, carry but a few percentages of total personal

I fear you have overlooked the commercial application of this developed technology.

[Leisler]

Never going to happen.

There is a reason that private enterprise, that builds 99% of everything in the world, didn't make this. Return on costs. Same reason the Concord never made money and the US airlines never built a Concord type vehicle.

[A.A. Cunningham]

The Osprey will never, ever, carry but a few percentages of total personal and cargo of even the Marines. It's a very niche product, that in 99 percent of case can be served by existing platforms.

Once again you are full of s***. You couldn't find your a** with both hands if you were spotted nine fingers.

[A.A. Cunningham]

It would have to be ever so slightly forward

Slightly? Any idea how many degrees of nacelle tilt can be dialed in without proprotor strike with terra firma?

Something else I've seen that is rarely mentioned; the entire V22 can be partially dismantled and inserted into a C17.

Irrelevant. A CH-53E can be partially dismantled and inserted into a C-17. What's your point?

[Leisler]

Besides the ad hominem, expound O Great(albeit sensitive) One.