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First Production V-22 Joins Flight Test Program

NAVAIR News Release

Release Date: 10/29/2002

By Gidge Dady

NAVAIR Public Affairs, V-22 ProgramNAVAIR PATUXENT RIVER, MD - As part of the gradual ramp up to seven MV-22 Ospreys that will comprise the developmental flight test program here over the next year, the V-22 Integrated Test Team has added two more MV-22s to its flight test program this month.

The addition of two more aircraft--a low rate initial production (LRIP) MV-22 and a second Engineering and Manufacturing, Development (EMD) aircraft--will give added flexibility to the testing efforts which, until October, were carried out by EMD aircraft number 10, the first aircraft to fly with improvements in the hydraulic system and flight control software.

The first LRIP aircraft (number 21) to be used for developmental flight testing, arrived here Oct. 12, a week ahead of schedule. Flown by Marine test pilots Majors Shawn Healy and Paul Hagar and flight test crew chief SSgt "Ollie" Oliverio, the flight originated from the Bell Boeing final assembly plant in Amarillo, Texas. During the five-hour cross-country flight, the aircraft reached altitudes of 15,000 feet and a true airspeed of 300 knots. The crew said the aircraft flew exceptionally well and arrived without any hitches in "full up" condition.

Aircraft 21 is fleet representative and will be instrumented for the aerial delivery of people and cargo in the months ahead and will be used to expand the internal cargo envelope to include parachute delivery of the cargo. "As part of this testing to further expand the Osprey's capabilities, static line parachutes will be used to deploy paratroopers," said LtCol Kevin Gross, V-22 government flight test director.

The second EMD aircraft (number 8) returned to flight on Oct. 19 and will be dedicated to performing high rate of descent (HROD) testing to further expand and more clearly define the boundaries of vortex ring state. The HROD testing may begin as early as November and over a 13-month period will include approximately 160 flight hours.

"The initial flight testing will pick up where we left off nearly two years ago with steady state low airspeeds and high sink rates to finish defining the steady boundary for V-22 vortex ring state (VRS), an aerodynamic phenomenon that can affect any rotorcraft that is flown well outside of its established flight parameters. Subsequent testing will exhaustively assess the effects on the VRS steady state boundary of aggressive maneuvering at low air speed and elevated sink rates," said Tom MacDonald, chief V-22 Integrated Test Team pilot.

"This latter phase of testing will ensure that ongoing development of cockpit crew alerting features, pilot training and awareness and operational envelopes provide adequate protection to future operational V-22's while ensuring that mission effectiveness of the V-22 is in no way limited," said MacDonald.

The third aircraft, EMD number 10, and the first one to return to flight last May, is now flying with new flight control computer software and new mission computer software. After this software shakedown is complete, this aircraft will be used for roll on deck testing here and at sea on the USS Iwo Jima as early as January 2003. This testing will ensure that the software modifications activate equipment on the aircraft to provide greater roll control, when the aircraft are parked, and thus allow for an adequate margin for roll perturbations caused by the wake of other aircraft.

By mid summer 2003, seven MV-22s, to include five LRIP and two EMD aircraft will be flight testing at Patuxent River and two CV-22 EMD aircraft will be flying at Edwards Air Force Base. The first CV-22 returned to flight at Edwards in September. Currently, the four aircraft now flying, three at Patuxent River and one at Edwards, have logged over 93 flight test hours and 39 flights.

To date, a summary of accomplishments include testing and validating new flight control system software, new avionics systems software, shake down testing of each aircraft, pilot re-qualification and routine proficiency training maneuvers, and testing and calibration of a new ultrasonic low airspeed sensor that will be used during upcoming high rate of descent tests.

The majority of the flight test program will be carried out at MV-22 test facility located at the Naval Air Systems Command Headquarters (NAVAIR). NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. From professional training to carrier launch; from sensor data to precision targeting; from aircraft and weapons development to successful deployment; from real-time communication to aircraft recovery NAVAIR provides dominant combat effects and matchless capabilities to the American warfighter.