NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — Sitting on the flight line, the Navy's new Osprey looks like it comes from a Transformers movie. According to the Navy, The CMV-22B Osprey is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) mission. The Osprey can take off and land as a helicopter but transit as a turboprop aircraft. The first of the new Osprey arrived in Hampton roads in April of this year.
"This aircraft gives us the flexibility of being able to go wherever we're needed and still provide logistic support to the carrier," explains Lt. David "Mobi" Turner of VRM-40, News 3's Squadron of the Month.
Lt. Turner gave me a tour of the Osprey. VRM-40, known as the Mighty Bison, is the first East Coast squadron to receive the new aircraft. Two West coast squadrons already have the Osprey. VRM-40 relocated from California to Virginia in February.
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I asked what makes this aircraft better. Lt. Turner told me it all comes down to flexibility.
"This aircraft has the flexibility of landing wherever we want," he said. "I can land it in the grassy field. I can land it on an island. I can even land it on the runway that's been shot up," he added.
Lt. Turner brought me inside the flight simulator used to train pilots on the CMV-22B. He showed me how they use the software to practice taking off, landing, and everything in between.
"We spend hours in here, just practicing stuff like this," Lt. Turner said. "So that when we do go out, it's as easy as 123, and boom, you're in."
He even let me try my hand at landing the plane. See how I did, plus meet the squadron's Command Master Chief, in the video player at the top of this story.
News 3 photojournalist Stefan Grimsley contributed to this report.
