Osprey In Iraq Flies VIPs...............

[nhboy]

Osprey In Iraq Flies VIPs... When it's Ready to Fly

"A couple of months ago we saw the much-feted first deployment of the Marines' MV-22 Osprey to Iraq. The Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane, has had a troubled development history -- over 25 years of it –- and critics and supporters alike have been waiting to see how well it will do in action. The answer seems to be mixed; while it has logged over 1,600 hours of flight time without major problems, all is not rosy."

Osprey In Iraq Flies VIPs... When it's Ready to Fly | Danger Room from Wired.com

 

[Severa]

Another article on the V-22s in Iraq here at newsobserver.com. A few snippets from the article:

The first Marine squadron to fly the controversial Osprey tilt-rotor in a combat zone is doing well, and likely will be replaced in Iraq by another North Carolina Osprey squadron when it returns to the state this spring, a Marine spokesman said.

"Right now, it's going exactly as expected," Dent said. "They're flying a lot of missions, and have flown more than 1,000 hours already."

There were a couple of days when only about half the squadron's 10 aircraft were available because of maintenance problems. The readiness rate has improved, though, to an average of about 80 percent, about the goal set by the Marines, he said.

The squadron has been engaged mainly in moving passengers and cargo around the western Iraqi province, though it has also started "aeroscout" missions, carrying loads of Marines to areas where insurgents are suspected, Dent said. If there seems to be trouble, the Ospreys swoop in and unload troops to investigate.

Marines do similar missions with helicopters, but Ospreys are faster and can cover more ground, Dent said.

One reason the Ospreys' maintenance is going relatively well in Iraq is that the manufacturer, Bell-Boeing, sent about a dozen workers to augment the military service crews, Dent said.

It's normal for manufacturers of aircraft and complex weapons systems to send representatives on deployments. It's hard to say what a normal number of contractors for an Osprey squadron would be, Dent said, as this is its first deployment and everyone involved is learning what "normal" means.

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My husband is a V-22 mech with Dyncorp at Pax River, so we're watching these birds in Iraq closely. Being that this is the first time the V-22 has served in a combat capacity, there's going to be a huge learning curve along the way and we all know that no aircraft is without its issues. We're rooting for the V-22 to do well as it really is an exceptional aircraft.

 

[Aristakat02]

saw one of these flying in air while walking a field yesterday above park hall really cool equiment hope for the best

 

[Larry Gude]

If it's OK...

I also am an MV-22 mechanic (structures) at Pax, and I know many of the Bell Helicopter field service representives that are currently overseas right now. A bunch of knowledgable fellas. This particular aircraft is in fact highly maintanence intensive. When it's up and flying, it's flying up to task and flying hard. When it's down, well, it's down hard.

...to discuss, what are the maintenance issues?

 

[flomaster]

There are many... This is a complex airframe that is mostly composed of carbon fiber composites and state of the art computer systems. The strength to weight ratio of the composites is tremendous, but when damage occours the correct repair procedures can get long and involved with the need for engineering support, gathering sophisticated equipment, and adequate repair facility requirements. New spare parts are almost nonexsistant, so robbing parts, or "cannibilzation" is common, thus rendering another airplane awaiting parts... Stealing from Peter to pay Paul. And there are more issues when you delve into required inspection criteria.

Probably not anything that needs to be published in an open forum. You never know who might be reading this.

 

[likittysplit]

Hi Flo,
You may be right, but have you ever done a Google search for USMC MV-22 Osprey? It's pretty much public knowledge. I'm not gonna debate this with you, I'll just say you are right and keep my mouth shut. For now...

 

[flomaster]

Hi Flo,
You may be right, but have you ever done a Google search for USMC MV-22 Osprey? It's pretty much public knowledge. I'm not gonna debate this with you, I'll just say you are right and keep my mouth shut. For now...

Check your Karma. Thanks

 

[ylexot]

When it's up and flying, it's flying up to task and flying hard. When it's down, well, it's down hard.

...and everyone hopes that the hard down doesn't happen while it's up and flying...