After Many Attempts This Twenty Year Old May Be Ready to Fly for the Marines

The Marines may finally be getting the long awaited Osprey V-22

The first test flight of the V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft was on March 19, 1989. It appeared that the Boeing developed aircraft would quickly enter the military inventory. With the capacity to carry more that thirty troops, it had the potential to bring troops in and out faster than conventional helicopters. At the same time it did not need a regular landing strip like a conventional plane. An additional feature was the ability to travel nearly 2100 miles with only a single mid-air refueling.

What could go wrong with this idea?

Long before the aircraft could become operational two crashes in 2000 resulted in twenty three deaths; this made it apparent that there were still some kinks.

The difficulty of having an aircraft that looked like a plane, it flew like a plane and when it came time to land or takeoff could tilt its rotors to start or end its flight like a helicopter had begun to show up.

The V-22 Osprey proved to be extremely complex to fly. Unlike most aircraft it takes two pilots full attention to fly. The switch from the straight flight of a regular plane to the vertical lift mode can result in a sudden drop in altitude if not managed carefully.

In a Raleigh News & Observer article by staff writer Jay Price, we are brought up to date on the plans for the Osprey.

He describes how he saw four little smudges on the horizon as the odd looking planes swooped down onto an old airfield. The rotors created a storm that sprayed grit and rocks as seventy five marines exited, diving to the ground with their M-16s. Some of the marines quickly faded into the adjacent tree line.

The Ospreys then clawed their way back into the air, tilted their blades forward and were gone.

According to Price, this exercise won the battle for the Osprey making it officially ready to be ordered for duty. This "new" weapon in the military arsenal is older than many of the marines that will be flying in it.

The mock landing at the airfield in Carteret County, N. C., was to demonstrate how the Osprey can function in an airfield seizure.