Part plane, part helicopter - here's what it's like to fly in the military's quirky MV-22 Osprey
First things first, Marines hold a safety briefing and a gear check. Each passenger is issued a cranial, which is basically a helmet with ear protection and goggles.
Next we were given an LPU, which is a passenger transport life preserver. This is what my LPU looked like before I put it on. The LPU is designed to float a fully combat loaded Marine.
Time to board the MV-22B:
Built for utility, the interior of the MV-22B is bare bones. Unused seats are folded up against the wall of the aircraft and cargo is tied to the floor.
Again, the MV-22B is built for practicality. This is what the ceiling looked like.
The seat belts were a little tricky. There were three straps and a couple of clips that had to be layered on top of each other and then inserted together into a third belt. Here I am all buckled up and ready to go ...
... and here are my fellow passengers set for take-off.
A Marine conducts one more final check before we head out.
This was my view upon leaving North Island Naval Air Station for the first time in an MV-22B.
We had gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean during our flight.
The ride in the MV-22B was comfortable. The hearing protection dulled out the noise for the most part and the wind wasn't an issue if you wore your goggles or sunglasses.
Here's another shot from the back hatch before we began to make our descent. We pulled a few G's twice on our flight to the vessel.
After a 40 minute ride, we approached the amphibious-assault ship USS America. Here's what landing on the flight deck looked like:
Within a few seconds, personnel appeared at the back hatch of the MV-22B and directed us to walk in single file as he escorted us around the flight deck.
After a day at sea, it's time to head back. Here comes our ride:
We get another safety briefing and put our gear back on before we are escorted to the flight deck.
Our departure was delayed due to an F-35B coming in for a vertical landing. Here's my view from the MV-22B of the fifth-generation stealth fighter making the vertical landing on a swinging flight deck look like a piece of cake.
After the F-35B landed and taxied into position our MV-22B crew was given permission to liftoff.
The following video shows takeoff, flight over the USS America, and a stunning sunset from the MV-22B:
Here's one more glimpse of the USS America from the MV-22B as we flew back to shore.
Most of my fellow passengers took a quick nap on the ride back but I couldn't stop taking pictures. The view was mesmerizing.
Here's another shot of the sunset before we made our descent.
This video shows our flight over Coronado beach before landing at the naval base's airfield. I think this landing had a better view than the original takeoff.
Landed! Thanks for the fun ride.
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