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all right wise ass,I f'ed up, you know I meant horizontal.don't make me go there,LOL at myself! (I'm a dumb ass)
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Boondocksaint375
Guest
The head of US Air Force Special Operations Command gave a strong endorsement for the special operations variant of the V-22 Osprey, saying it's as safe to fly as a commercial airliner.
Calling the CV-22 "a wonderful airplane," Lt. Gen. Mike Wooley said his command is confident the hybrid aircraft has emerged from its troubled history of crashes and fatalities and will deliver a "transformational leap" to commandos for their covert missions.
"The thing that we're excited about that the airplane brings to the fight is speed and range," Wooley said in Washington last month. "When you really get down to it, that's what the Air Force does: bring speed and range to the fight."
Controversy swirled around the Osprey program for years after two crashes in 2000 killed 23 Marines. The deadly incidents grounded the transport and sent the program back to the drawing board, forcing the Air Force and Navy - which is buying the Osprey to replace a portion of its search and rescue helicopter fleet - to mute their enthusiasm for the new transport.
But citing the Air Force's checkered history converting from a prop-driven aircraft fleet to jets, Wooley brushed aside the Osprey's past problems, saying the Navy and Marine Corps had worked out the kinks over the past several years of re-engineering.
"It's no different from jumping on a 777, an AC-130 or a CV-22 - something could slip, break or come loose at any time," he added. "But that's the aviation business."
The Marine Corps - which is purchasing the MV-22 to replace its fleet of Vietnam-era CH-46 Sea Knight transports - announced April 16 it planned to deploy the first operational Osprey squadron to Iraq in September. The announcement surprised critics of the program who speculated the Corps would send the Osprey on a lower-profile assignment.
Air Force spec ops pilots should get their first operational CV-22s by 2009, filling out the 50 aircraft buy in 2018. But that's not soon enough for Wooley who said the delay is "my biggest concern with that airplane." The AFSOC CV-22 will employ four crewmembers, adding a flight engineer to the mix. The Corps uses a three-man crew during its operations.
"Our machines are pretty dang complicated," Wooley admitted. "But they're pretty dang complicated because we designed them." He said the complexity of the flight systems needed for spec ops missions demanded the extra manpower "because there's a lot going on in the cockpit" and was not an indication that the Osprey was any more difficult to fly than other conventional transports.
The AFSOC version of the Osprey may also differ from the Corps' MV-22 by incorporating a chin-mounted gun - a modification the Air Force requested. The Corps will use a .50 cal machine gun mounted on the Osprey's loading ramp for fire suppression in a hot landing zone.
Wooley will send an Air Force team with the Marine squadron heading to Iraq this fall to learn what he can from the first deployment in hopes of making AFSOC's eventual stint in the combat zone error-free.
"We want to be there to learn those lessons the same time the Marines learn theirs."
Calling the CV-22 "a wonderful airplane," Lt. Gen. Mike Wooley said his command is confident the hybrid aircraft has emerged from its troubled history of crashes and fatalities and will deliver a "transformational leap" to commandos for their covert missions.
"The thing that we're excited about that the airplane brings to the fight is speed and range," Wooley said in Washington last month. "When you really get down to it, that's what the Air Force does: bring speed and range to the fight."
Controversy swirled around the Osprey program for years after two crashes in 2000 killed 23 Marines. The deadly incidents grounded the transport and sent the program back to the drawing board, forcing the Air Force and Navy - which is buying the Osprey to replace a portion of its search and rescue helicopter fleet - to mute their enthusiasm for the new transport.
But citing the Air Force's checkered history converting from a prop-driven aircraft fleet to jets, Wooley brushed aside the Osprey's past problems, saying the Navy and Marine Corps had worked out the kinks over the past several years of re-engineering.
"It's no different from jumping on a 777, an AC-130 or a CV-22 - something could slip, break or come loose at any time," he added. "But that's the aviation business."
The Marine Corps - which is purchasing the MV-22 to replace its fleet of Vietnam-era CH-46 Sea Knight transports - announced April 16 it planned to deploy the first operational Osprey squadron to Iraq in September. The announcement surprised critics of the program who speculated the Corps would send the Osprey on a lower-profile assignment.
Air Force spec ops pilots should get their first operational CV-22s by 2009, filling out the 50 aircraft buy in 2018. But that's not soon enough for Wooley who said the delay is "my biggest concern with that airplane." The AFSOC CV-22 will employ four crewmembers, adding a flight engineer to the mix. The Corps uses a three-man crew during its operations.
"Our machines are pretty dang complicated," Wooley admitted. "But they're pretty dang complicated because we designed them." He said the complexity of the flight systems needed for spec ops missions demanded the extra manpower "because there's a lot going on in the cockpit" and was not an indication that the Osprey was any more difficult to fly than other conventional transports.
The AFSOC version of the Osprey may also differ from the Corps' MV-22 by incorporating a chin-mounted gun - a modification the Air Force requested. The Corps will use a .50 cal machine gun mounted on the Osprey's loading ramp for fire suppression in a hot landing zone.
Wooley will send an Air Force team with the Marine squadron heading to Iraq this fall to learn what he can from the first deployment in hopes of making AFSOC's eventual stint in the combat zone error-free.
"We want to be there to learn those lessons the same time the Marines learn theirs."
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Boondocksaint375
Guest
CV-22 aces three-part test
By Tech. Sgt. Kristina Newton, 1st SOW Public Affairs
2007-07-09 09:57:00
HURLBURT FIELD - The 8th Special Operations Squadron completed another mission to verify and prove the tactics, techniques and procedures of the CV-22 Osprey during a water operations exercise with Navy SEALs June 27-28 at Lake Jackson in Florala, Ala.
The mission was a three-part event with boat deployment, helocasting and live water hoist operations.
"The boat deployment exercise is when we have a boat, called a soft duck, in the cargo area and we are flying a low slow approach over the water," said Tech. Sgt. Chad Ackman, 8th SOS Training NCO-in-charge and a CV-22 flight engineer. "When we're at the correct speed and altitude, we drop the boat out the back."
The boat drop was made in helicopter mode at a height of 10 feet and a flight speed of 10 knots," Sergeant Ackman said.
Helocasting is basically the same thing except the team in the back of the aircraft jumps in the water right after the boat is deployed," he said.
The final part of the mission was to do a live water hoisting exercise.
Senior Master Sgt. Scott Marston, a flight engineer and the 8th SOS superintendent, was manning the hoist during the event.
"The scenario was to pick up an injured survivor and a rescue swimmer," Sergeant Marston said. "We deployed the penetrator and recovered the individuals."
The hoist moves very quickly, at about 300 feet per minute," Marston said. "The swimmers were only in the water a matter of seconds once we deployed the penetrator and the aircraft was extremely stable during the mission."
The CV-22 is great in this role because it can fly farther and faster than a helicopter," he said.
The purpose of the validation is to prove the CV-22s ability in water operations and help build training programs for future aircrews.
"We'll use the knowledge gained during the validation exercise to create new training plans for all future aircrews on the best way to accomplish these types of operations," Sergeant Ackman said.
The missions aren't only for the crew in the back; the crew members on the flight deck also gain experience and knowledge from these exercises.
"Flying 10 feet above the water isn't really a big deal," said Capt. Paul Alexander, 1st Special Operations Group CV-22 branch chief and an experienced MH-53 and Chinook pilot.
"But the unique characteristic of the CV-22 rotor design creates rotor wash off the nose and tail at 100 knots per hour; this causes the water to move away from you so it appears as if you are flying backwards.
"That's why we use a heads down hover display, it helps us keep awareness of our actual position - such as velocity drift and altitude," he said.
The crew of the CV-22 has a mixed background of flight experience from helicopters to fixed wing aircraft. But the things expressed by all three crewmembers were this aircraft was extremely capable, very stable and also easy to fly.
"Our customer feed back has been better than expected," Captain Alexander said. "Working with the aircraft has alleviated their original concerns about size and maneuverability."
The first CV-22 belonging to the 8th SOS arrived on base in November and progress with the tactics, techniques and procedures verification has been steady.
The 8th SOS recently completed high altitude, low opening parachute operations with the Army Golden Knights during the Special Operations Forces Week at MacDill Air Force Base, and they plan on doing some shipboard operations with the Navy in the near future.
"Everything is going well, the aircraft has been wonderful," Sergeant Ackman said. "I love the CV-22; I think it's a great airplane."
By Tech. Sgt. Kristina Newton, 1st SOW Public Affairs
2007-07-09 09:57:00
HURLBURT FIELD - The 8th Special Operations Squadron completed another mission to verify and prove the tactics, techniques and procedures of the CV-22 Osprey during a water operations exercise with Navy SEALs June 27-28 at Lake Jackson in Florala, Ala.
The mission was a three-part event with boat deployment, helocasting and live water hoist operations.
"The boat deployment exercise is when we have a boat, called a soft duck, in the cargo area and we are flying a low slow approach over the water," said Tech. Sgt. Chad Ackman, 8th SOS Training NCO-in-charge and a CV-22 flight engineer. "When we're at the correct speed and altitude, we drop the boat out the back."
The boat drop was made in helicopter mode at a height of 10 feet and a flight speed of 10 knots," Sergeant Ackman said.
Helocasting is basically the same thing except the team in the back of the aircraft jumps in the water right after the boat is deployed," he said.
The final part of the mission was to do a live water hoisting exercise.
Senior Master Sgt. Scott Marston, a flight engineer and the 8th SOS superintendent, was manning the hoist during the event.
"The scenario was to pick up an injured survivor and a rescue swimmer," Sergeant Marston said. "We deployed the penetrator and recovered the individuals."
The hoist moves very quickly, at about 300 feet per minute," Marston said. "The swimmers were only in the water a matter of seconds once we deployed the penetrator and the aircraft was extremely stable during the mission."
The CV-22 is great in this role because it can fly farther and faster than a helicopter," he said.
The purpose of the validation is to prove the CV-22s ability in water operations and help build training programs for future aircrews.
"We'll use the knowledge gained during the validation exercise to create new training plans for all future aircrews on the best way to accomplish these types of operations," Sergeant Ackman said.
The missions aren't only for the crew in the back; the crew members on the flight deck also gain experience and knowledge from these exercises.
"Flying 10 feet above the water isn't really a big deal," said Capt. Paul Alexander, 1st Special Operations Group CV-22 branch chief and an experienced MH-53 and Chinook pilot.
"But the unique characteristic of the CV-22 rotor design creates rotor wash off the nose and tail at 100 knots per hour; this causes the water to move away from you so it appears as if you are flying backwards.
"That's why we use a heads down hover display, it helps us keep awareness of our actual position - such as velocity drift and altitude," he said.
The crew of the CV-22 has a mixed background of flight experience from helicopters to fixed wing aircraft. But the things expressed by all three crewmembers were this aircraft was extremely capable, very stable and also easy to fly.
"Our customer feed back has been better than expected," Captain Alexander said. "Working with the aircraft has alleviated their original concerns about size and maneuverability."
The first CV-22 belonging to the 8th SOS arrived on base in November and progress with the tactics, techniques and procedures verification has been steady.
The 8th SOS recently completed high altitude, low opening parachute operations with the Army Golden Knights during the Special Operations Forces Week at MacDill Air Force Base, and they plan on doing some shipboard operations with the Navy in the near future.
"Everything is going well, the aircraft has been wonderful," Sergeant Ackman said. "I love the CV-22; I think it's a great airplane."
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Boondocksaint375
Guest
SEALs test Osprey in exercise with Air Force
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jul 9, 2007 18:12:58 EDT
The 8th Special Operations Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla., completed a mission with Navy SEALs on June 27 and 28 to verify and prove the tactics, techniques and procedures of the CV-22 Osprey during water operations, the 1st Special Operations Wing announced Friday.
The exercise took place at Lake Jackson in Florala, Ala.
It was part of an ongoing process of verifying the tactics, techniques and procedures for operating the tilt-rotor Osprey, according to a press release.
The mission was a three-part event with boat deployment, helocasting and water hoist operations.
The boat deployment involved dropping a small boat out of the Osprey’s cargo area while flying 10 feet over the water at 10 knots.
Helocasting is similar except the SEAL team jumps in the water right after the boat is deployed, the press release said.
The live water hoisting exercise requires the aircrew to hoist an injured person and rescue swimmer out of the water.
The purpose of the validation is to prove the CV-22’s abilities in water operations and help build training programs for future aircrews, the press release said.
The 8th SOS got its first CV-22 in November. The squadron has completed high-altitude, low-opening parachute operations with the Army Golden Knights, and it plans on doing shipboard operations with the Navy in the near future.
The Air Force plans to buy 50 CV-22s.
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jul 9, 2007 18:12:58 EDT
The 8th Special Operations Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla., completed a mission with Navy SEALs on June 27 and 28 to verify and prove the tactics, techniques and procedures of the CV-22 Osprey during water operations, the 1st Special Operations Wing announced Friday.
The exercise took place at Lake Jackson in Florala, Ala.
It was part of an ongoing process of verifying the tactics, techniques and procedures for operating the tilt-rotor Osprey, according to a press release.
The mission was a three-part event with boat deployment, helocasting and water hoist operations.
The boat deployment involved dropping a small boat out of the Osprey’s cargo area while flying 10 feet over the water at 10 knots.
Helocasting is similar except the SEAL team jumps in the water right after the boat is deployed, the press release said.
The live water hoisting exercise requires the aircrew to hoist an injured person and rescue swimmer out of the water.
The purpose of the validation is to prove the CV-22’s abilities in water operations and help build training programs for future aircrews, the press release said.
The 8th SOS got its first CV-22 in November. The squadron has completed high-altitude, low-opening parachute operations with the Army Golden Knights, and it plans on doing shipboard operations with the Navy in the near future.
The Air Force plans to buy 50 CV-22s.
i've just heard that the rotor wash from that thing is an absolute nightmare. Talked to a chief that said roping is even faster. Also, during take off, it's like a rocket....this is all 2nd hand by the way. So whenever i get to experience this thing, i'll tell ya...maybe
