The V-22 Osprey took how long?

[Bob Hudson]

Came across a Marine Corps Gazette with a tilt rotor aircraft on the cover. Does it remind you of something?

 

 

The Osprey's first flight was in 1987 and it was introduced to service in 2007 and the wikipedia article says, "The V-22 originated from the United States Department of Defense Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) aircraft program started in 1981."

 

But check out the date of the Gazette cover!

 

[Bob Hudson]

So, if I did my math right, it took at least 40 years for the Osprey to get from an artist's conception to an in-service aircraft!

 

The Gazette article says they had a target for the aircraft's range:

 

 

Maybe it took 40 years in order to figure out a way to hit that target, because wikipedia says the final product beats it (barely):

 

 

I see the Osprey's fairly often when I'm driving on the freeway that cuts through MCAS Miramar, just east of the runway. We got to go inside one and later watch it take-off during a Miramar air show and I have to say it's a cool aircraft, but I was floored by its long trip from the drawing board.

[hink441]

"but I was floored by its long trip from the drawing board."

 

Yes indeed it was a long trip. It was also a bloody trip.

[Vahe Demirjian]

The Transcendental Model 1-G and Bell XV-3 were actually the first tiltrotor aircraft to fly. The design of the V-22 was influenced by the Bell XV-15, and Bell's experience with tests of the XV-15 certainly played a role in the Bell/Boeing military tiltrotor design being declared the winner of the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) competition in 1983.