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Marine Corps Times letters

In response to the Center of Defense Information report, “V-22 Osprey: Wonder Weapon or Widow Maker” [“Report blasts Osprey testing, readiness,” Dec. 11], I would like to start by telling you a little about myself: My military occupational specialty is 6176, MV-22 “Osprey” crew chief.

I’ve been with the program for four years and have 690 flight hours on the MV-22. Before that, I was a CH-46E Sea Knight crew chief and flew more than 800 hours on that platform.

I was attached to Marine Tiltrotor Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., for Operation Evaluation in 2002. During that time, the squadron performed a number of required tests to prove this platform was operationally ready for fleet use.

That would explain the MV-22 program spokesman’s response about Lee Gaillard’s Center for Defense Information report: “The author has omitted important information about testing and modifications to the aircraft currently flying.”

Let me tell you what I know about the MV-22 from actually flying on the aircraft and not just reading about it in reports. First, Gaillard said the aircraft was limited to “800 feet per minute vertical rate of descent” because of vortex ring state, but what he fails to say or does not know is that most descents are performed from 200 feet and below in airplane mode.

The total time from airplane mode at 200 feet to wheels on deck is two minutes, give or take a few seconds. That is based on four years of flying on the aircraft and performing more than 300 hours of confined area landings.

Next, Gaillard says that the V-22 has never been tested to take off or land with one engine shut down during 17 years of evaluation.

However, during the last four years flying on the MV-22, I have been single-engine two times; on both occasions, the aircraft responded as if nothing had happened.

The aircraft’s ability to provide lift comes from its torque available vs. torque required — simply put, if you limit the amount of torque that a student pilot can use during takeoff or landing training events, which we do, you in turn simulate a single-engine profile. I can tell you that there is no difference between actual and simulated single-engine performance.

Staff Sgt. Brian Freeman

Jacksonville, N.C.

Good medicine

Thank you for the most informative article on the Tricare mail-order pharmacy plan in the Dec. 11 issue [“Don’t count calendar months for prescriptions,” Tricare Help]. It answers several questions I had about the plan. I would recommend all eligible retirees read this article.

Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Joseph P. Pannitto (ret.)

Melbourne, Fla.