Over at his Airplane Geek’s blog David Vanderhoof’s recent ‘Airplane of the Week’ was the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. There were two examples of the type at the RAF Fairford RIAT this year. Not a particularly impressive demo by all accounts. The transition phase seems to be far too laborious and it would be difficult to imagine this occurring anywhere near defensive ground fire. The venerable Chinook with its fast steep approach and touch-and-go was far more impressive. The death toll/accident rate suffered by the Osprey is a matter of record too. I’m told that the Japanese declined to have the type stationed on Japanese soil for this reason. Those are Rolls Royce engines by the way – so the aircraft obviously has something going for it -and a single engine can drive both props in case of an engine malfunction. Airshow photos by Nico Charpentier, click on the images for a larger view.
