VMM-263 USMC Helicopter Squadron in Iraq

THE FIRST USMC HELICOPTER SQUADRON IN IRAQ TO USE THE MV-22 OSPREY

The Osprey is a tilt-rotor plane with helicopter features. It is the future of Marine aviation,
to replace the Vietnam era, CH-46 Sea Stallion, as the main troop carrier in the service.

To say the aircraft is controversial is putting it mildly, over a decade in the planning, and with 2 major crashes, killing 19 Marines in one accident, 15 in another.
After these crashes the Osprey was sent back to the drawing board so to come up with an aircraft the military wants in their fleet.
The "B" model emerged as a more stable fly-by-wire aircraft, and after a few years of tests,
a simulated Iraq-like enviornment to operate in using all the features available to fly it in combat. However, 29 Palms is not Iraq, or is anyone shooting at them as they glide in so pretty like. We who flew combat missions in Vietnam know there's two ways in combat to fly:
1) the NATOPS Manual way
2) the combat survival way

BUT, 'they' say it will do the job - for all of us who support Marine helicopter squadrons, the pilots and crew; the Grunts they will carry, we hope that is the truth.

KEEP YOUR TURNS UP "THUNDERCHICKENS"

SEMPER FIDELIS
facilis Descensus Averno

Dante: "The Road to Hell is Easy