Bell Boeing has achieved another milestone in the road toward full production for the V-22 military tiltrotor, with the aircraft recently surpassing 1,000h of flight since its return to the skies in May 2002.
Osprey No 24 reached the landmark during an icing test flight over Nova Scotia, Canada. Nova Scotia is the base for a V-22 Integrated Test Team detachment for the first half of the icing testing.
Col Craig Olson, USAF, V-22 Joint Programme manager, said: "We've accomplished what we'd intended at this point since the return to flight, and that is truly a reflection of the teamwork between the programme office and integrated test team."
Kevin Morgan, V-22 contractor flight test director, said: "This milestone represents a year and a half of hard work, successful testing, and mishap-free flying.
"We've accomplished a lot over the last 18 months. I couldn't be more proud of the folks at Pax, Edwards, and New River, and our industry partners at the sites. A lot of people came together to make this milestone happen."
Evaluation
Since the V-22's flight test programme was re-started, the Osprey has completed lengthy developmental testing including two periods at sea and a series of high rate of descent tests. Bell Boeing says that in the coming months the programme will be focusing on other facets of developmental testing as well as supporting VMX-22, the tiltrotor test and evaluation squadron based at MCAS New River, North Carolina, as it prepares for the Osprey's operational evaluation next year and eventual fleet introduction of the aircraft.
Source: Flight Daily News
