Navy, Air Force cleared to fly Ospreys after inspecting gears
By Stephen Losey
Friday, Dec 20, 2024
The Navy and Air Force are now cleared to resume flying their grounded V-22 Ospreys after conducting inspections on a crucial gearbox in the tiltrotor aircraft, and some are already back in the air.
The military temporarily stopped flying some Ospreys on Dec. 9 after a near crash in New Mexico in November. The Marines soon resumed its Osprey flights, but the Navy and Air Force kept them on the ground longer while they further reviewed what was causing metal components to fail.
Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, issued a bulletin to the fleet Friday morning ordering crews to verify how many hours each aircraft’s proprotor gearbox had flown.
If an Osprey’s gearbox meets or exceeds a particular number of flight hours — NAVAIR would not say how many due to operational security concerns — it can resume flying under limitations issued in March.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/12/20/navy-air-force-cleared-to-fly-ospreys-after-inspecting-gears/
