Osprey MV-22

Osprey = Marine killer. As in - you put Marines in it, the Osprey takes off, the Osprey crashes and burns, no survivors.

You might want to do a little more research before you post such inanities and expose your ignorance of complex technical matters to the entire world.

Jack

Well, doesn't THAT tell you a lot about the model. Thanks so much for the review...

Frank Kranick

You can't be serious. Do you really think that the Marine Corps would risk its most precious asset in an inferior transport aircraft? Do you think it would be better to trust Marines' lives to the aging CH-46 fleet instead?

Dear God no! The CH-46 is the scariest piece of shit I've ever had the misfortune to fly in. When I got on board the aircraft, there were large pools of oil on the deck of the cargo bay. I couldn't tell whether it was leaked hydraulic fluid or leaked engine oil. Turns out it was a mixture of both. I was quite concerned and I expressed those concerns to the loadmaster. He simply opened a new bag of chickenshit and cleaned up the mess with it.

I continued to express my concern and was assured that everything was perfectly normal. He showed me a stock of cans of engine oil and hyd fluid and told me "we'll fill it up again at the next stop". It seems that as long as the crew can see that it is leaking, they are reasonably happy. Once it stops leaking, they become concerned because then it is empty.

Thankfully the flight only lasted 20 minutes and I made the return flight in a Puma.

Most military aircraft are less safe than civil ones. The higher the performance, or the more cutting the advance, the higher the fatality rate. When AV-8B was in its early years they crashed a lot of them, and got the same kind of press- nearly cancelled the program.

F-4 had a bad safety record for a number of years. Remember the 104 crashes in Europe?

The V-22 is a big advance in technology, and the crash rate doesn't surprise me.

There were very few aircraft, in any nation's history, that did *not* suffer a series of tragedies in its "testing period". The B-17 is a prime example. The prototype found its demise in a fiery, fatal crash. It's first "real" field deployment, (with the British) was pretty much a disaster.

I will have to try and pick that one up some time this week. The Osprey or atleast the idea and concept of the VTOL has been around for quite some time now.

Yessss there have been several crashes ALL of them ''Bad''. When is the last time you remember hearing of a ''Good'' crash anyway. It's a tremendously complicated piece of machinery. Flying and acting just Like a Helicopter as well as a Plane and moving from one style of flight right into the other.

You should know the Helo people really don't like the whole concept behind the Osprey at all. No Not one Tiny Little Bit. It could (if it starts working) replace lots of orders for helicopters

It's lovingly called ''The Sky Pig'' by the ones who Hate it...... LOL

... Carl ..........

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My cousin lovingly calls it a 'steady paycheck'. ;)

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

The Army's first aviator, Thomas Selfridge, died in the crash of a wright biplane in 1908, the first man killed in a powered heavier than air flying machine, and also the first casualty in military aviation.

Hap Arnold, one of the Army's first aviators almost gave up flying after his first major crash flying a wright machine. He was taught how to fly by the wrights, and eventually they helped ease him back into flying. Dozens of army pilots died in the abortive air mail fiasco of the 30's Dick Bong, america's WWII ace of aces died testing a YP-80 Boeing test pilot Eddie Allen died testing early B-29's and Glen Edwards died flying the YB-49 flying wing.

Military aviation by it's nature is hazardous. Military test aviation even more so.

Osprey is unlikly to replace too many helicopters because of the cost/benefit ratio. It will replace some but since its new technologies allow for new operational capabilities, it will be used in a different role than most helicopters.

MV-22 40.1M unit cost H-60 5.9M unit cost

A statement true even of the marvels created by God's own hand, including his greatest - the woman. Why the only opening on mine that doesn't leak is her ears; and that's because she chatters so much they're pulling vaccum off her throat most of the time. ;-)

WmB

I'm not an expert on the Osprey but all the information I have gathered indicates that the current Italeri Osprey kits (both 1/48 and 1/72) depict a V-22 Osprey prototype. I believe Italeri is preparing a revised 1/72 kit that depicts production aircraft.

There are a couple of articles on Hyperscale that detail the changes need to make a production aircraft if you are so inclined.

Cheers Ultan

Well, its main use will be to move Marines to, from and around the battlefield, replacing the CH-46 in that role.

It's not meant to replace the H-60 which is predominantly an Army aircraft anyway.

That's true. We used to say that about the Harrier. But at least with the Harrier we could get it into a condition where it was leak free *before* the mission, even if it did a wonderful impersonation of a sieve after getting its wheels back on the deck.

"Jeff Barringer" wrote in >

snip

I'm amazed that the Osprey is that cheap. As complex as it is, I would think it would cost far more than 40.1M. What a deal! Give me 2 please.

Doug Wagner

Exactly, initially it will be replacing a limited number of airframes but mark my words over time its new capabilities will allow for new mission profiles not envisioned at the outset, profiles that only Osprey can perform because of its unique features and abilities. I suspect that in time its maintenance costs may cause the marines to rethink their deployment for such pedestrian tasks and it may revert back to the less expensive helicopter for some of the tasks it currently envisions for Osprey. I could be wrong.

Agreed, I was just using H-60 as an "average" cost for a "basic" military helicopter.

I don't think too many guys making helicopters have much to fear from Osprey. Now its follow on, who knows.

Its not the cost of the razor but the blades where they get you.

As A former USAF Crew Chief on F-4Es if you ever saw your jet with out numerous puddles of oil, hydraulic fluid or fuel you had better start servicing all your systems

Given budget constraints I don't see many more than the already-projected buy unless foreign sales kick in.

I'd hardly call the transport of combat troops 'pedestrian'.

Maybe, but no mere helicopter has the range, speed, and payload capability of the Osprey given the size of the ships it will be flying from.

As I mentioned above, the Osprey is much more than a mere helicopter.

I wonder if the autogyro folks ever felt that way about those new-fangled helicopters... ;-p