VSTOL BELL BOEING V-22 OSPREY (Helo/Plane) goes Operational in Combat.

[Charger Aficionado]

  I saw this thing in action in 1996 at Camp Lejune NC, (10 YEARS AGO) and they have been working out the bugs ever since...  It killed four Marines one time because of flaws...  I hope all goes well...  This thing would make rapid deployment a BREEZE...  If we do have to send ground troops into Iran, this thing will save lives. 
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,89560,00.html?ESRC=marine.nl

Helo Casting looks HARSH from those HUGE props...


Compare to the Huey:

[bad1032]

That thing is a P.O.S, 2 of my friends were killed in Virginia when one of them crashed, They have 4 v 22s here doing evaluations on them, They took them to nova scotia last year for winter testing. A friend who worked with me on CH 46 switched over to them, They have all sorts of issues. I dont see it working.

[hemihead]

I'll think that thing will take more lives than it saves. 

[Wakko]

That is one of, if not THE, hugest money pit projects never to get off the ground.  In theory it's an AWESOME design...best of both worlds.  I really hope they get it working correctly.  Give it another year, the Chinese will have a copy available for 10k less than ours...

[Headrope]

I think it's too early to label Osprey.
Blackhawk too had issues in its early days. I know many soldiers who now credit Blackhawk with saving their life.

[bad1032]

Most of the Black hawk problems were caused by pilot error with n.v.g they would fly into each other. They discovered it was causing vertigo and the would coliide in mid air.They could have saved alot of mony and updated the CH 46 or the CH 53

[MyMopar]

Most of the Black hawk problems were caused by pilot error with n.v.g they would fly into each other. They discovered it was causing vertigo and the would coliide in mid air.They could have saved alot of mony and updated the CH 46 or the CH 53

[Paladin]

Guys,

Not to be a smart aleck, but I don't think we should be passing judgement on the Osprey yet.  Please consider:

The F4U Corsair was deemed unflyable by the U.S. Navy for operations off the decks of carriers.  Pilots could not see forward, and they quickly became known as "ensign eliminators".  Engine torque was said to be unmanageable and the Navy basically gave the Corsairs to the Marine Corps.  First real carrier operations were done by the British Royal Navy, after they took about three feet off each wing. 

The B-29 had a terrible service record when they were first operated in the Pacific in 1944.  That was after two full years of migraine headaches involving engine overheating and all sorts of pressurization and control malfunctions. 

The F-111 was decried to be the biggest piece of junk to ever fall out of the sky.  I remember the congressional hearings and media hype saying that it was the biggest waste of money in the history of the American military. 

The AV8 Harrier was called the "Crash and Burn" while I was in the Marine Corps.  The old joke went "Look Mommy, it's a Harrier" and mommy would reply "Quick, Johnny.  Make a wish."  It was said to be criminal to put a pilot in it and expect him to survive. 

The B-26 Marauder with its' short wingspan was referred to as "The Flying Prostitute", because it had "no visible means of support".  A lot of pilots hated them, and many crewmen avoided them like a black cat.  Some wing commanders refused to have them in their units.  Another congressional investigation and another great hue and cry.  Then it turns out that the B-26 had the lowest loss ratio of all of our main bombers used in World War II?

Early on, the B-52 was an operational nightmare.  Too many systems, way too complex for any sort of real combat.  Just the Air Force and Curtis LeMay blowing a bunch of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent elsewhere.

The B-24 was once considered the ugliest, most ungainly flying contraption to ever lift into the air.  It was referred to as the box you shipped the B-17s in.  With the high Davis wing, pot belly, huge dual vertical tail surfaces, and the face that only a mother could love; many "in the know" folks proclaimed that it would be a miracle to just get off the ground with it, much less fight in it.  Funny how it could fly higher, faster, longer and with a bigger bomb load than the B-17.

The P-38 was nearly scrapped several times.  Its' loss of control when diving at speed was never fully understood nor taken care of.  Yet Richard Bong ended up being the highest scoring American ace on WW II flying one  (40 victories)

I could go on and on, but you get the general idea.  One other thing, I have seen a lot of CH-46s go down in my time and have had to man the body bags after a "Pogo Stick" or "Crowd Killer" crashed.  It has been in service since the mid-1960s and is way beyond what was supposed to be its operational lifespan.  The Marine Corps desperately needs a replacement.  For myself, I figure that the Marine Corps knows more about the worthiness of the Osprey than I do.  At least, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.  Especially when I consider it against the backdrop of aviation history.  Show me a bird that revolutionized aerial combat and I will show you a bird that had teething problems, sometimes a bunch of them.

...and don't ever forget the most historical aviation missive of all:  "It'll never fly, Orville".   


May God bless America,
Paladin

[Afflyer]

Gentlemen, let me be the first to tell you that when my squadron, the 8th SOS, officially closes the book on a long and distinguished history of flying the venerable MC-130E "Combat" Talon, the 8th will be the first squadron to pick up and run with the new Osprey.  It's a Special Operations wet dream to finally get this aircraft.

I know a few of my fellow Flight Engineers who will crew this thing, and I wish them all well.  I'm not saying I will never crew one of these birds- it's just not been asked of me yet.  I have a few reservations, mainly because I'm so emotionally tied to the Herk, which has proven itself since 1955.

I got the opportunity to take a walk-through of the new Osprey at an air show at NAS Pensacola, last summer.  I thought the thing was pretty damn small in the cargo compartment, and very cramped up front- hell the Engineer's seat is attached to the damn flight deck access door!  It won't hall the stuff I've been hauling over here in Bagram, that's for sure.

When the 8th gives up the Talon, I'll be finding my way over to the 16th Special Operations Wing, flying a desk, but being "attached" to either MC-130P "Combat Shadow", MC-130H "Combat Talon II", or some other Herk variant- I'll soon find out this summer.

Don't everyone start harassing this new bird, give her a chance to prove herself in AFSOC, where she'll get a shiteload of opportunity.

On another front- I'll be coming back home from Bagram, Afghanistan sooner than I thought!!!!

YIPPEE!

"Mopars At The Battleship" in Mobile, Alabama- HERE I COME!!!

Bradley