Back in April was the Cowtown Warbird Roundup at Fort Worth Meacham Airport and while there weren't as many warbirds there as I had hoped, I did finally get a chance to examine an Osprey tilt-rotor up close.
The machine on static display was from the 71st Special Operations Squadron based at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. The 71st trains flight crews for the Air Force Special Operations Command's operational Osprey units. We were allowed to go inside, look in the cockpit and the crew was more than happy to hang out with everyone and answer questions. One of them told everyone that they always loved coming to Texas air shows as the crowds were always the most hospitable to military personnel than any other place they'd gone to for air shows.;)
On with the pics!
Shot of the cockpit- on the lower right is the thimble-shaped radome that houses the TFR (terrain-following radar) that is unique to the AFSOC's CV-22 variant (compared to the Marine Corps' MV-22 assault transport version) and allows it to penetrate hostile airspace day, night, and in poor weather.
Key to the Osprey's unique abilities are it's twin tilt rotor nacelles each housing 6200+ hp Rolls-Royce/Allison AE1107C turboshaft engines. They can even pivot past vertical to allow the Osprey to fly backwards when in helicopter mode. There is a thumb dial on the throttle operated by the pilot's left hand that controls the nacelle angle from straight ahead for high speed flight to past vertical for flying backwards in helicopter mode.
Close up view of the cockpit area. The black wart-like aerial just behind the cockpit is part of the CV-22's radar warning receiver (RWR) system that helps the crew identify hostile threats.
Different view of the port nacelle. You can see the fold joints on the rotor blades that allow the Osprey to fit on the elevators and hangar decks of the Navy's aircraft carriers and big deck amphibious assault carriers. The big lateral airscoop serves the IR-suppression system that reduces the infrared signature of the CV-22.
Aft section looking forward. On one of the two vertical tails you can see the various aerials that serve the CV-22's electronic warfare system. The "58 OG" on the tail above the aircraft serial number refers to the 58th Operations Group, which is the operational/flying component of the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque.
It's a much larger aircraft that I had though having only seen it in flight around the DFW area. The crew were obviously very proud and excited about the unique performance and capabilities that the CV-22 brings to Special Operations Command's playbook.
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