| The MV-22 Osprey testing began at the greater | | | | could have used it for that Rawanda Op. It works |
| Wilmington airport in Delaware over twenty years | | | | and will work better. |
| ago; where the Del. air Nat. Guard holds their monthly | | | | Lots more range than 53 or 46 and lots more |
| drills. This was where it had its first crash. Testing | | | | versatile than c-130 or previously mentioned helos. |
| was then transferred to another location. All the | | | | Again, once the bugs are worked out. Well obviously |
| marines and marine pilots I have spoken with, feel | | | | they have/are being worked out. The USMC is now |
| that they would rather fly it than a fix wing cargo | | | | replacing there Sea Knights with them. It's a great |
| plan. | | | | new capability. As I said previously it has taken over |
| It's a great aircraft with an unrealized potential. You | | | | twenty years to get to this point. This shows a |
| have a butt load of cashbook jocks, soon to be | | | | future need for this type of aircraft. |
| without jobs, in a hot hybrid rotor-fixed wing that are | | | | I'm sure after all this time, if not already, the bugs |
| only comfortable at 1-3000 ft and 100 or so kts. | | | | left can be worked out. We know that there would |
| Flying the wings at 45 deg and 120kts just isn't what | | | | be no use for them while in plane mode. You could at |
| the designers had planned, or what the grunts want. | | | | least put the guns on the side and fix to front of the |
| The plane will go 300+ if you flat the wings, but the | | | | engines to give some kind of suppressive fire, instead |
| fixed wing jocks in transition aren't the majority, nor | | | | of nothing. last thing is what difference does is it |
| will they have the input when the TTPs get ironed | | | | make not having a chin mounted gun, the thing |
| out. I say have one of each in the cockpit (fixed and | | | | already costs too much you might as well give it a |
| rotor jocks) and let them do what they do best | | | | gun or it will be defenseless and most likely be shot |
| during the three phases of sortie. | | | | down. |
| Some of the marine pilots have logged 9,000 hours | | | | It was one of the unfortunate ones in Dec 2000 at |
| on fixed wing aircraft and as I see it, the MV-22 | | | | one of the Osprey crashes. At that time I felt it was |
| OSPREY is an Accident looking for a place to happen! | | | | best to "DUMP" the osprey. But after seeing much |
| The V-22 osprey might not be as safe as the DC-3 | | | | work being done on this aircraft and learning how it |
| but is the safe DC-3 capable of keeping up with | | | | truly does fly, I now think we must push forward |
| today's military requirements? | | | | and transudation to this aircraft. If you look back at |
| As with every other aviation platform it will take time | | | | other aircraft you too will see that there will believes |
| to over come the bugs, heck look how long it took | | | | lost. Nobody wants that but how much longer can |
| the 53 to work right and then hunted by substandard | | | | the USMC depend on the 46 and 53. Yes, there may |
| parts etc. Oh and let's not forget the harrier... | | | | in fact be more deaths. But that's life just like driving |
| Gees-o-petes the happiest Harrier Pilot I ever met | | | | down the street you could always be killed. |
| were flying a desk for G-2 Ops at IIIMEF. We sure | | | | |