Osprey Still Experiencing Growing Pains

A local paper near Hurlburt Field reports that the USAF has placed its V-22 Osprey on an "operational pause" following an incident where an air filter in a USMC V-22's engine caught fire. The AF public affairs representative said that the aircraft could be flown now without the air filters as long as they operated from asphalt instead of austere fields. That's a nice temporary fix, but this aircraft was not built to operate on asphalt.

The Osprey is expected to begin flying after the New Year and the Air Force hopes to have it fully operational in 2009. I would expect the V-22 to have more trouble than most new aircraft since its design is so unique. However, it's had more than it's fair share. Hopefully the bugs will get worked out soon, making it a safe and effective aircraft.