From The Archives: 35 Years Ago In Aviation Week

A Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor prototype banks steeply during flight test operations at Bell’s Ft. Worth, Texas, development center. Two Osprey prototypes, each powered by two 6,150-shp. 

Allison T406-AD-400 turboshaft engines, were flying at the time, with four more under construction. Initial flight test data was provided to an independent cost and analysis study ordered by Congress. 

The manufacturers hoped to get as much validated data into the study as possible to help prove to lawmakers that the Osprey could meet its projected lifecycle cost targets. 

But long after its introduction the program has remained contentious largely due to its safety record, which was most recently marred by the fatal November 2023 crash of an Air Force Osprey off Japan that grounded the entire fleet for months. Textron photo by Ben Cashion

Read the full issue: October 16 1989 | Aviation Week

Read the article on page 38, V-22: An Uncertain Future

See the cover. 

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