# I saw an Osprey aircraft today. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 24, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916 "2014-07-24T09:12:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/21 "2014-07-25T23:11:01Z")
Not new to me, I work at an airport. I’ve seen em land, and take off. Ditto Harriers. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/22 "2014-07-26T07:28:24Z")
We live near Joint Base Lewis-McCord. One flew by three different times yesterday evening. Or maybe it was three different ones. It, or they, were on the approach the military planes sometimes use to get to the base. Maybe they were practicing take-offs and landings. Those Ospreys are quieter than I would suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/23 "2014-08-03T19:36:13Z")
Saw 2 of them demo’d at Oshkosh. The transition to full flight was impressive. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/24 "2014-08-03T20:58:49Z")
Only seen videos, what did it sound like? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/25 "2014-08-03T21:53:43Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Only seen videos, what did it sound like? It had a helicopterish sound but very distinctive. One of the few aircraft I could easily identify by sound. The others being the OV-1 and Mustang. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/26 "2014-08-03T22:37:45Z")
I work in Mountain View, close to Moffett, and that damned thing was hovering directly over my office that day. Everything in the room was shaking and we were worried that the skylight was going to crack. It was vibrating like a bass drum head. I won’t be surprised in the least if it leaks the next time it rains (assuming it ever rains again). But the worst part was that it was giving me Half-Life flashbacks. A couple days later there were several bigass Sea Stallions flying around. Those are also very loud. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/27 "2014-08-04T00:34:49Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > What does a V22 do if the engines fail? Does it auto-rotate like a helicopter, or glide down? Can it glide/fly with the engines pointing up? Because it obviously can’t land with them pointing forward. From the [V-22 2010 Guidebook](http://www.boeing.com/ospreynews/2011/issue_01/final_8jun2010_179638.pdf) (PDF) on Boeing’s site: > [@](#): > > Myth: The V-22 is unsafe because it can’t autorotate. > > Fact: The V-22 is a tiltrotor and does not rely on autorotation for a survivable power-out landing. The wide separation of the engines and the ability to drive both rotors with one engine make a power-out landing extremely unlikely. However, if required, the V-22 can glide for a predictable run-on landing in airplane mode, much like a turboprop. Presumably the engines and rotors would not have to be tilted all the way forward in the glide. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/28 "2014-08-04T07:33:31Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Do they have controls to prevent the pilot rotating the props fully forward when on the ground, or is it just a case of observing protocols? Yup. It use to be that the pilot had a lot more command of the angle, but due to the complexities of flight and a couple accidents the angle is computer-prescribed based on flight condition. There is still some wiggle room for the pilot to control it, but they are generally not allowed to. > [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Also, I guess I hadn’t really looked closely before but I had always assumed that beast could land like a conventional aircraft if needed. The rotor diameter seems to preclude that. They can take off and land with the rotors at around 45 degrees. This lets them do so on a short field, but more efficiently (with higher weights) than they could vertically. I spent a week running acoustic tests on these things down in Florida last summer. Basically had them fly over me and my equipment over and over again in different configurations doing different maneuvers. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/29 "2018-12-14T02:40:48Z")
Bumped. Melania Trump just became the first First Lady to fly aboard an Osprey: [Melania Trump makes historic Osprey flight to visit US military | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/12/politics/melania-trump-military-visits/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/30 "2018-12-14T02:49:25Z")
My initial thought was: that was ballsy (given their service history) but given a discussion I’m involved with elsewhere, I think it’s best if I stick with “that was brave of her.” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/31 "2018-12-14T04:12:34Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > My initial thought was: > > that was ballsy (given their service history) > > but given a discussion I’m involved with elsewhere, I think it’s best if I stick with “that was brave of her.” Given the discussion that you are involved in elsewhere, this comes across as either trolling or trying to see exactly how much you can get away with. Do not do this again or you will receive an official warning for it. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916/32 "2018-12-14T05:12:12Z")
He knows exactly what he is doing. And that he’ll get away with it. Wouldn’t someone who had the same exact thoughts he did also think, “Maybe it’s just better if I don’t put those words in my post.” Instead of actually doing so and then type the words, “It’s probably best that I don’t say that.” And then just put it in spoilers and then write “My initial thought was” beforehand trying to entice someone into clicking the spoiler and seeing the words. they really want others to see. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-an-osprey-aircraft-today/693916.md?page=1)