thedrifter
05-22-08, 06:17 AM
It's A Plane! No, It's A Helicopter!
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 22, 2008
Updated: 12:16 am
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE - Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Sheets has been a pilot for 13 years, but when he switched to the new Osprey troop and cargo carrier, "it was like learning how to fly all over again."
Even if you're just along for the ride, like civilians who got a demonstration Wednesday morning, the CV-22 Osprey takes some getting used to. Especially at the moment of truth, when this one-of-a-kind, helicopter-airplane hybrid switches from one mode of flight to the other - in midair.
Critics disagree, but the Pentagon insists it worked out all the bugs for pilots such as Sheets during a 25-year, problem-plagued development period that included cost overruns, technical failures and two deadly crashes in 2000 that killed 23 Marines.
Sheets has been flying the Osprey about four years now, and hasn't looked back.
"We did a redesign of the engines and the gearboxes on the wings," he said, and the problems were solved. "We've got a clean bill of health."
Named for the nimble fish hawk common across the Tampa Bay area, the Osprey can carry 24 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo into battle. It was part of a cutting-edge arsenal displayed at MacDill as part of a weeklong tribute to the group based there that often gets such weaponry first: the Special Operations Command.
Also on display at the Tampa military base were menacing go-fast attack boats, a long-range C-130 Hercules that sends radio and television signals to the ground below, and a couple of decked-out Humvees.
However, the Osprey with its huge rotors, swiveling engine pods, stubby wings and checkered past stole the show.
It's the next big thing in the global war on terror, or, as Air Force Chief Warrant Officer Tony Howdeshell called it, the "GWOT."
For the demonstration flight, it was clear from the beginning that this was a different bird. Even taxiing was different: The two engines and their huge propellers are rotated slightly forward to provide some forward motion, then they're swiveled back to helicopter mode for takeoff.
The Osprey lifted slowly, straight up into the air.
Passengers couldn't see the moment of truth through their small rear windows, but they could feel it. The Osprey segued from hovering to slight forward motion, then the pilot gave it the gas and it zoomed ahead like the airplane it had become.
The ground fell away from the yawning rear opening, and within seconds the aircraft was rising over the choppy waters of Tampa Bay. After a minute, it was over the Sunshine Skyway bridge. A few minutes later, it soared over Fort DeSoto Park. Some tight turns followed, along with some steep ascents and descents.
Then half an hour later, the aircraft changed form again and slowly descended to the MacDill tarmac. It can fly in helicopter mode, but landing in airplane mode is impossible: The propellers extend nine feet below the body of the aircraft.
The Osprey was designed by the Marines to replace Vietnam-era helicopters that still carry troops into battle, their range often limited by where Navy ships can get them. The Marines will receive most of the 460 Ospreys scheduled to be delivered in the coming years, at a cost of up to $110 million each.
The Osprey is uniquely suited to modern warfare, in the view of Sheets. A small number of troops often must enter an area quickly and efficiently, then depart the same way. The Osprey can travel farther than troop-carrying helicopters to reach a target, yet it can land places that lack the long, hard surface needed for a runway.
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
Ellie
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 22, 2008
Updated: 12:16 am
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE - Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Sheets has been a pilot for 13 years, but when he switched to the new Osprey troop and cargo carrier, "it was like learning how to fly all over again."
Even if you're just along for the ride, like civilians who got a demonstration Wednesday morning, the CV-22 Osprey takes some getting used to. Especially at the moment of truth, when this one-of-a-kind, helicopter-airplane hybrid switches from one mode of flight to the other - in midair.
Critics disagree, but the Pentagon insists it worked out all the bugs for pilots such as Sheets during a 25-year, problem-plagued development period that included cost overruns, technical failures and two deadly crashes in 2000 that killed 23 Marines.
Sheets has been flying the Osprey about four years now, and hasn't looked back.
"We did a redesign of the engines and the gearboxes on the wings," he said, and the problems were solved. "We've got a clean bill of health."
Named for the nimble fish hawk common across the Tampa Bay area, the Osprey can carry 24 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo into battle. It was part of a cutting-edge arsenal displayed at MacDill as part of a weeklong tribute to the group based there that often gets such weaponry first: the Special Operations Command.
Also on display at the Tampa military base were menacing go-fast attack boats, a long-range C-130 Hercules that sends radio and television signals to the ground below, and a couple of decked-out Humvees.
However, the Osprey with its huge rotors, swiveling engine pods, stubby wings and checkered past stole the show.
It's the next big thing in the global war on terror, or, as Air Force Chief Warrant Officer Tony Howdeshell called it, the "GWOT."
For the demonstration flight, it was clear from the beginning that this was a different bird. Even taxiing was different: The two engines and their huge propellers are rotated slightly forward to provide some forward motion, then they're swiveled back to helicopter mode for takeoff.
The Osprey lifted slowly, straight up into the air.
Passengers couldn't see the moment of truth through their small rear windows, but they could feel it. The Osprey segued from hovering to slight forward motion, then the pilot gave it the gas and it zoomed ahead like the airplane it had become.
The ground fell away from the yawning rear opening, and within seconds the aircraft was rising over the choppy waters of Tampa Bay. After a minute, it was over the Sunshine Skyway bridge. A few minutes later, it soared over Fort DeSoto Park. Some tight turns followed, along with some steep ascents and descents.
Then half an hour later, the aircraft changed form again and slowly descended to the MacDill tarmac. It can fly in helicopter mode, but landing in airplane mode is impossible: The propellers extend nine feet below the body of the aircraft.
The Osprey was designed by the Marines to replace Vietnam-era helicopters that still carry troops into battle, their range often limited by where Navy ships can get them. The Marines will receive most of the 460 Ospreys scheduled to be delivered in the coming years, at a cost of up to $110 million each.
The Osprey is uniquely suited to modern warfare, in the view of Sheets. A small number of troops often must enter an area quickly and efficiently, then depart the same way. The Osprey can travel farther than troop-carrying helicopters to reach a target, yet it can land places that lack the long, hard surface needed for a runway.
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
Ellie