Originally Posted by usmc helo
I made a statement about (what I feel) are the operational advantages of the V-22 compared to how the Marines do business today. It appears from the comments (with the exception of JohnDixson) made that no one here is capable of countering it so intstead we get more useless and unconfirmed dribble.
Well. I guess he told us!
It must be nice, usmc helo, to know that yours are the only opinions that count...that everyone
else's views are based on unfounded, emotional and irrational biases that have no basis in fact.
You feel that the V-22 has certain operational advantages, so everyone else must therefore be wrong.
Got that right?
I do not deny that the V-22 has some very unique capabilities and that it does some things extremely well. I stay away from the "V-22 versus ____" arguments because they are pretty irrelevant.
My beefs with the V-22 are not emotional, irrational, nor unfounded. I believe it is a flawed, dangerous design that has already cost us far too much as a nation. To paraphrase something journalist Andy Rooney said about helicopters, the tilt-rotor hasn't been completely invented yet. Perhaps it never will be.
What if I told you that I was giving you an airplane? This airplane had two independant wings, left and right, one on each side of the cockpit. Those wings would stall at different speeds, suddenly and without warning. Additionally, I could not give you a reliable stall-warning system to alert you that this asymmetric stall was about to happen. But I would caution you that when one of those wings stalls, the plane will roll over and dive to earth and that you'd need around 2,000 vertical feet or so to recover. SO DON'T LET IT HAPPEN ON APPROACH!
That said, I would advise you to avoid certain risky rate-of-descent and airspeed combinations. These numbers would be very conservative, and I would add that "aggressive" and multi-axis control inputs on approach should also be avoided. However, this advice would come with the nudge-wink that you'll probably have to violate those "limitations" in the heat of battle, which we know can be fluid, changing and hectic.
What if I gave you such a plane? Would you fly it? I would not. At least not for anything other than easy Point A to Point B flights where nice, stable, conservative approaches could be made. You know, the opposite of combat. Yet pilots willingly jump into the V-22, then rave about what a wonderful aircraft it is because it's so...well, different. But of course! On the other hand, no one has flown one into battle before...never had to land one in a "hot" LZ. But no matter, because we all know that everything
always goes according to plan during combat, right?
As I said, my other objection to the V-22 is what it's cost us so far. It is the hugest waste...yes, I said
waste of money ever. I know this puts me at odds with the, "...at any cost-" group of tilt-rotor supporters who feel that it just doesn't matter how much money we have to spend on the concept,
it's that good. Well, maybe not, judging by the evidence that the military is reluctantly letting out. The fact that the V-22 is not going to Afghanistan but yet helicopters are speaks volumes. We're paying so much money for an aircraft that only has any real advantage over a helicopter at
sea level?? Dear Lord!
So you, usmc helo, and I have vastly different opinions on the V-22. It is interesting that you characterize those who disagree with you as spewing "dribble," confusing that word for the proper word,
drivel. Tells us who you are.