what's up with the osprey tilt rotor??

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 7:28 pm

jtramo wrote:

I'm just a little worried that it isnt really packing much heat for a front line aircraft and if it takes a hit in the driveshaft/tranny its a bad glider. Three if the major crashes involved problems with the gearbox just from bad design or mx let alone battle damage.
Its speed (only reason for its exsistance) is no good if it needs to be escorted by traditional slow rotorcraft. With the single rear facing .308 even if it goes into battle backwards its still underarmed. The Stuka was a great weapon till someone shot at it.

very valid points!!! are there back up systems for emergency engine / mechanical systems?? how does the crew egress in an emergency?? certainly no auto rotation while in the plane mode!! as for the lack of defensive weapons it is woefully weak. i hope more measures are taken to beef up it's defense capabilities as the new aircraft cuts it's teeth. very good news that the bird is finally performing well too.

Ztex · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:04 pm

The gun is on the way...

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/03/217657/video-bae-systems-offers-gun-for-v-22-tiltrotor.html

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:31 pm

wow that baby really spits out the shells!!

uh1h430 · **Joined:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 5:38 pm **Posts:** 93

I. Sikorsky Jr. said it best and I quote

“We feel it well be as successful as a helicopter as it will be a fix wing”

Strange over the last 20 years of them trying to build this thing that Sikorsky
has stayed out of this.

Seems they also dropped the VTOL from the F35 too
Wonder if the F35 had a water tank

The Harrier was a great Air Show airplane but the first add I saw in I think in Time over 20 years ago I got a chuckle they showed it landing next to a battle field in a field to rearm and fuel yea right. I worked air shows flight crew with these things and they move air and kick up anything not tied down and then the intake is bigger than the cockpit.

The Harrier has never done what the Marines claimed at the start. So I think the Marines are on the same road with this one too.

As I watched all the rescue work during the NO hurricane thing on TV all I could think of I. Sikorsky Sr. and not a word said as his airplanes and yes they are airplanes did the work only they and they alone could do.

Shay · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:56 pm

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:16 pm

i've got to get my wife 1 of those t shirts....... her engines are double supercharged!!

JDK · **Posted:** Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:57 pm

uh1h430 wrote:

The Harrier was a great Air Show airplane but the first add I saw in I think in Time over 20 years ago I got a chuckle they showed it landing next to a battle field in a field to rearm and fuel yea right. I worked air shows flight crew with these things and they move air and kick up anything not tied down and then the intake is bigger than the cockpit.

The Harrier has never done what the Marines claimed at the start. So I think the Marines are on the same road with this one too.

The RAF certainly operated their Harriers off airfield in Germany, and both the RAF and RN seemed happy and capable with the thing. The performance in 1982 kept them happy, albeit not so much rough field as shipboard and damaged field V/STOL.

I agree there may be a degree of over claiming of abilities with the Harrier (I'm no expert) but it was far from hopeless.

The general rule of development needing oportunity and support applies to the Osprey as much as any other aircraft - the attitude shown would've condemned most aviation developments including the Wrights, the jet and, yes, Sikorsky's VS-300.

Regards,

EDowning · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:39 am

Nice Airshow pictures, but I won't really be impressed until the Osprey can draw a crowd of Amish Chics.

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

There is still a version of the F-35 that is VSTOL...... It first flew this past spring......

Mark H

jtramo · **Joined:** Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:39 pm **Posts:** 359

I thought I heard that that gun wasn't gonna happen and they are experiment with a forward firing fixed cannon but that was months ago.

The VTOL F35 is still a go as far as I have been hearing. DefSec Gates, (whom is staying in his position with the next administration) is high on that aircraft. At least one is at Pax River Testing from what I understand. The problem is that he set the max F22 order at 183 instead of nearly 400 to buy more F35s. Whoose gonna ecsort the F35s?

Love the shirt. Do the proceeds go to the gas bill? I thought our taxes paid that!

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:44 pm

EDowning wrote:

Nice Airshow pictures, but I won't really be impressed until the Osprey can draw a crowd of Amish Chics.

You should ask them the serial number of the washer on their horse and buggy.

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:45 pm

Ztex wrote:

The Bell guys I know are very happy with the current service fleet. They seem a bit quite because they know that ONE incident will bring the press back. There is no good news worth publishing on military programs.....

They are at capacity at the Amarillo plant, building them as fast as they can. The Marines are flying them so much that a release any for airshows or other events is rare. There will not be one here in Ft. Worth for the BELL HELICOPTER Armed Forces Bowl game...

The 609 is flying...Agusta has one flying in Italy with another close to ready and the Bell machine is flying regularly...at least once a week. It is supposed to be at Heli-expo in Houston in February.

I just barely caught it last Friday....at Arlington (KGKY)

My company is already getting two of the Bell aircraft to be high speed long range transports for organ transplants and such.

K5DH · **Posted:** Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:05 pm

P51Mstg wrote:

There is still a version of the F-35 that is VSTOL...... It first flew this past spring......
Mark H

It's actually called STOVL: Short Take Off, Vertical Landing. At combat weight, it cannot take off vertically. I'm not sure it can take off vertically even at minimum weight. It also can't land vertically when heavy. It can, however, operate off a very short runway at combat weight.

Cheers, y'all!

Bill Walker · **Posted:** Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:34 pm

retroaviation wrote:

It would be nice if they had a "demo team," like the fighters and such (A-10, F-15, F-18, etc.) for airshows.

Gary

Yeah! What we need is Rotary Wing Heritage Flight. Let's see, an H-19, an H-34, a HUP, some sort of Bell 47....

jtramo · **Joined:** Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:39 pm **Posts:** 359

You know what they say about Helicopters, if they were so safe then why are there no "vintage helicopter" fly-ins?

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what's up with the osprey tilt rotor??

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