Crews write book on CV-22 training

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Francesca Carrano
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  By combining the capabilities of two distinctly different platforms, the Air Force, working hand-in-hand with the Navy and Marine Corps, is moving one step closer to providing warfighters advanced and reliable tools to accomplish their mission.

Although the CV-22 Osprey is still undergoing developmental tests, it began moving into operational testing with Air Force Special Operations Command crews in mid-December.

The crews began by training in the intricacies of this unique hybrid aircraft.

"The CV-22 is a tilt-rotor aircraft designed to take off like a helicopter -- either vertically or on a short-roll takeoff -- then move what we call the nacelles or the prop-rotor engine combination from a vertical to a horizontal position gradually so it converts into an airplane," said Maj. Percy Dunagin, 18th Flight Test Squadron, Detachment 1 commander. "The CV-22 flies most of its mission with the props facing forward. Then when you prepare to land, it can tilt the nacelles back up to land like a helicopter."

The aircraft's agility makes it capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.

This aircraft brings the capabilities of a medium lift helicopter and the speed of a medium lift fixed-wing transport together, giving the special operators capabilities to do long-range, deep infiltrations and exfiltrations in small areas that otherwise they would not be able to get done quickly enough, Major Dunagin said.

The 18th FLTS, Det. 1 is primarily performing training missions on the two Air Force CV-22s that call Edwards home.

"We're taking the airplanes, learning how to fly them and learning how we are going to employ the aircraft for use by the U.S. Special Operations Command in future conflicts," said Maj. Steven Breeze, 18th FLTS, Det. 1 director of operations.

Training the actual Special Operations crews has allowed the test team to gather valuable data that can be passed on to the 71st Special Operations Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Major Breeze said.

"Since most of us have never flown this aircraft before, you have to start a pyramid of training," Major Breeze said. "The top of the pyramid has to become experts so they can pass that knowledge all the way down to the actual students who will come out of pilot training to start flying the airplane."

As part of the training in the last few weeks, the CV-22 crews have been conducting formation flights. During this training, flight engineers, pilots and maintainers gather information on the CV-22 to increase understanding about the unique capabilities this plane will bring to Special Operations.

Aircraft preparation and preflight times are probably half of what it used to take on previous airframes -- helicopter or fixed wing, said Tech. Sgt. Matt Pipal, 18th FLTS, Det. 1 flight engineer.

"In the air, the cockpit management system keeps the flight engineer and the rest of the crew aware of all the aircraft's systems," Sergeant Pipal said. "You can use this system data to make the proper decision on each particular aircraft discrepancy. Also, this data can be downloaded after the flight, so the aircrew and maintainers can get a good cross flow on how the aircraft performed during the flight."

Much like the preflight times for the flight engineers, turn-around time for CV-22 maintainers has also been cut nearly in half, said Tech. Sgt. Dennis Hudon, 18th FLTS, Det. 1 CV-22 quality assurance.

With integrated avionics, the CV-22 can troubleshoot itself and provide information via a control panel where maintainers can check hydraulic, oil and other levels without having to go into the gear boxes to visually inspect each level, Sergeant Hudon said.

"This is a very reliable aircraft," said Sergeant Hudon. "We've been doing the formation flights these past few weeks and we've actually been able to take the two aircraft and turn them each day to make these flights. For a normal aircraft squadron, doing this without a spare is pretty much unheard of; it just proves the reliability of this aircraft and how easy it is to maintain."

Much like the CV-22 in its care, Det. 1 is a unique hybrid unit. The detachment is both an operational and maintenance detachment rolled into one.

"We have flyers like you would have in a normal operations squadron and maintainers like you would have in a normal maintenance squadron, and all functioning together to bring the CV-22 on line," Major Dunagin said.

The team here has worked together to figure out how to fly and maintain this new aircraft under Air Force rules, which has been a challenge due to the fact that the CV-22 is a completely new breed of aircraft for the Air Force.

"Not only have they put together a tremendous program, but every day the proof of the success is when we go out and launch two aircraft," Major Dunagin said.

"The maintainers have just done a fabulous job of launching this aircraft time and time again. We'll come back with some minor maintenance problems and the next day they'll have it all fixed and ready to go," he said. "I am just extremely proud to be leading this unit into bringing the CV-22 to the Air Force."

By taking everyone's ideas and experiences and by learning how to employ and maintain the aircraft, "we will be able to pass important lessons to the training and operational squadrons of the Air Force," Major Breeze said.

The CV-22 is the Air Force Special Operations variant of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Modifications to the Osprey aircraft made for the CV-22 variant are concentrated in the areas of communication, navigation, mission management and aircraft survivability.