MV-22 Osprey [Archive] - Marine Corps

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thezero

07-28-10, 09:51 PM

Are there any mechs out there that are working on these? New guys just learning them or the old 46 guys that had to transfer? Just looking for some info that way I'll have more knowledge for when I hit the fleet shortly.

hussaf

07-28-10, 09:56 PM

Are you asking if there are people in the Marine Corps that conduct preventative and corrective maintenance on the MV-22?

I don't know much about this, but if you google "MV-22 MOS", or "Marine Corps tilt rotor" or something similar you should find some stuff.

You will have extensive schooling for tilt-rotor craft as its involves a lot of information...so I'm guessing 46 mechs will have to attend transition schools, if they are even allowed to lat move as their field may still be critical.

thezero

07-29-10, 07:52 PM

ggyoung

07-29-10, 08:03 PM

Come on you old guys lets hear it for the best chopper the Marines ever had. THE UH-34

hussaf

07-29-10, 09:51 PM

hussaf, I am looking for anyone working on them currently. Right now I am in a school for C-130's since the Corps has combined my MOS. C-130/MV-22 Safety and Survival mech. Right now there's nothing set up for us to do and the only thing my SSgt and GySgt can say is that we may end up in a Flight Equipment shop. So if that happens I want to take whatever I can and learn the rest of the bird a long with doing MCI's and making myself look better for promotion, it's pretty much trying to get ahead of my peers because there are a few Lcpl's I know of with more TIG and a couple other things to put them ahead of me.

Lol, that sucks...sounds about right on par for the Marine Corps though. Its good to be moto about promotions, just don't get wrapped around the axle for it and you'll be fine. Sounds like you got your head on straight. I'm sure school sucks as I bet its long as hell...best of luck,
SF
A

DocGreek

07-29-10, 11:01 PM

irpat54

07-29-10, 11:15 PM

:evilgrin:.....This is just my humble opinion, but the Osprey (MV-22).....is an over-engineered, worthless, floppy-winged, coffin. I've flown in one, and the two other Squids with me, said that they were told by tech's that it was a NIGHTMARE to work on, and repair......let alone FLY!!!.....just one FOOL'S opinion!!....:evilgrin:

sounds alot like the harior when it first came to the fleet. a friend of mine had to go back to school to learn about it and thats what he said about the bird as well, albeit not flopy wing though.

thezero

07-30-10, 09:11 PM

@hussaf - the school isn't that bad spent about 3-4 months in Pensacola with 8 weeks of school for being a seat mech. Then I started here a few weeks ago and am leaving early September. Longer than what I imagined but it will be worthless.

DocGreek, when did you fly on the 22? While I was at MCT all we saw was the 22's flying and I have watched videos of when they first came out so they don't seem as bad now. But thats just off of my opinion and thus why I am trying to find some Marines that work on them so I can get a better view on what I am going to. Then if I can get a flight equip Marine to answer that would be better since that may be where I work until everything for us is set up.

JRed

07-31-10, 03:30 AM

Hey Zero, I'm a 6116 Tilt-Rotor Mechanic. MCAS New River, VMMT 204. What can I help you with? I see your going to 264, you'll be right down the flightline from me.

DWalsh

10-21-10, 11:39 AM

whats up zero, I am a seat mech on the MV-22. there are few of us right now. what do you want to know? how soon do you plan on deploying? soon I hope because your replacing us. I like the osprey's, yeah its harder to work on then the KC-130's but its a good bird. there are to many people that are still in love with the phrog's. I am in Flight Equipment but its because we dont have a shop yet and we are taking their aircraft work. Ill see if I can send some picture to your SSgt. Take in every bit of information he gives you, he taugt me alot last deployment.

thezero

10-21-10, 12:07 PM

Hey Sgt, im in the fleet now, VMM-264. And we are deploying pretty soon so we may very well be replacing you. My squadron, we have 4 seat mechs including me, 3 of which just came from Oki. And any info on what to expect over there will be appreciated.

R Landry

10-21-10, 03:45 PM

I find this to be a very interesting bird. I hope that all the kinks will be worked out and the Corps will have an awesome force multiplier. Some stuff from Wikipedia:

Controversy

The V-22's development process has been long and controversial, partly due to its large cost increases. [/URL]The V-22's development budget was first planned for $2.5 billion in 1986, then increased to a projected $30 billion in 1988. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-texasobs-39) As of 2008, $27 billion have been spent on the Osprey program and another $27.2 billion will be required to complete planned production numbers by the end of the program.


The V-22 squadron's former commander at Marine Corps Air Station New River (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-V-22_CRS_RL31384-1), Lt. Colonel Odin Lieberman, was relieved of duty in 2001 after allegations that he instructed his unit that they needed to falsify maintenance records to make the plane appear more reliable. Three officers were later implicated in the falsification scandal.

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-texasobs-39)
The aircraft is incapable of autorotation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation), and is therefore unable to land safely in helicopter mode if both engines fail. A director of the Pentagon's testing office in 2005 said that if the Osprey loses power while flying like a helicopter below 1,600 feet, emergency landings "are not likely to be survivable". But Captain Justin (Moon) McKinney, a V-22 pilot, says there is an alternative, "We can turn it into a plane and glide it down, just like a C-130. A complete loss of power would require the failure of both engines, as one engine can power both proprotors via interconnected drive shafts. While vortex ring state (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-time-36) (VRS) contributed to a deadly V-22 accident (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#Notable_accidents), the aircraft is less susceptible to the condition than conventional helicopters based on flight testing. But a GAO report stated the V-22 to be "less forgiving than conventional helicopters" during this phenomenon. In addition, several test flights to explore the V-22's VRS characteristics in greater detail were canceled. The Marines now train new pilots in the recognition of and recovery from VRS and have instituted operational envelope limits and instrumentation to help pilots avoid VRS conditions.

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-Wired_200507-23)
With the first combat deployment of the MV-22 in October 2007, Time Magazine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-Proceedings_Sept2004-44) ran an article condemning the aircraft as unsafe, overpriced, and completely inadequate. The Marine Corps, however, responded with the assertion that much of the article's data were dated, obsolete, inaccurate, and reflected expectations that ran too high for any new field of aircraft..

Recent development
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/CV-22_Osprey_in_flight.jpg/220px-CV-22_Osprey_in_flight.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-MCT_Hoellwarth_20071016-45) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CV-22_Osprey_in_flight.jpg)
CV-22 flying over New Mexico

On 28 September 2005, the Pentagon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon) formally approved full-rate production for the V-22. The plan is to boost production from 11 a year to between 24 and 48 a year by 2012. Of the 458 total planned, 360 are for the Marine Corps, 48 for the Navy, and 50 for the Air Force at an average cost of $110 million per aircraft, including development costs. The V-22 had an incremental flyaway cost of $67 million per aircraft in 2008, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-usaf_fy2008_budget-47)but the Navy hopes to shave about $10 million off that cost after a five-year production contract in 2013.

The Bell-Boeing will design a new integrated avionics processor to resolve electronics obsolescence issues and add new network capabilities. By 2014 Raytheon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-DJ_Christie_20070531-48) will provide an avionics upgrade that includes Situational awareness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_awareness) and Blue Force Tracking.
Mission improvements have been developed for the "Block C" version. A contract for the Block C upgrade and other improvements was awarded to Bell-Boeing in late 2009. Deliveries of Block C upgrades are ongoing in 2010. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-50)

U.S. Naval Air Systems Command is working on upgrades to increase the maximum speed from 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph) to 270 knots (500 km/h; 310 mph), increase helicopter mode altitude limit from 10,000 feet (3,000 m) to 12,000 feet (3,700 m) or 14,000 feet (4,300 m), and increase lift performance.[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-Boeing_V-22_Osprey#cite_note-54"]

thezero

10-21-10, 05:00 PM

Sgt, it is controversial but there hasn't been a real bad mishap for a while. In EMV I guess we flew the birds pretty hard (I say I guess because I checked in right after and only saw new reports/some flight schedules) and they had no major issues. As for the no auto-rotation if an engine goes out, I am pretty sure I read up that if one engine goes out then the other one will be able to power it enough for the bird to land as safe as conditions allow it. Now I will have to look up in the pubs about that but I am fairly sure that was a change that was incorporated.