I have!
They fly into N. Myrtle Beach Airport from New River.
Their approach can be seen (quite close) from my patio.

Tom Knowles

There is one on static display at the Branywine Airport, PA at the Helicopter museum.
S/F
Tim

Myrtle Beach AFB

I did my first touch and goes in a CH-46 at Myrtle Beach AFB in '67 as a crew member flying left seat. Pretty long test hop from New River, but flying along the Beach was great fun, and the AFB wasn't very busy. Guess that's why they closed it?! Still like the area!

Regrets

Joe,

With your obvious love of actually flying the aircraft, why didn't you pursue a commision and make it official. With your crew chiefs knowledge of the aircraft systems, you would have been a natural.

S/F

Tom

I saw...

...a section of V22's this afternoon.

My office is in downtown Norfolk on the 22nd floor. I overlook a military VFR helicopter route that serves NAS Norfolk. If you have flown around here, you know it.

Anyway, it was a flight of two at 500' 120 Knots with the rotors tilted at about 45 degreess.

They headed south down the Elizabeth River toward New River.

They could have been a flight of H46's or H53's. There was not much difference in size. Come to think of it though, they seemed quieter and left no discernable vibration. I have seen H53's set off car alarms in our parking garage!

It looks like a practical and capable machine to me. I don't understand all the controversy.

Hey Joe Reed:
We used to fly that same route, early on, my Hac told me it was a mortal sin not to drop off at least a case of C-Rats to the Hermit that lived on the beach, just up from the high water line, just north east of Wilmington. Did you ever do that?

C-Rats to the Hermit

Thomas,
No we didn't. Hadn't even heard of it prior to you mentioning it....SUre did like to low level along the beach, though...Didn't get to "eyeball" as I was "driving" and a tad nervous about it in those days, I was a L/Cpl in hog heaven, flying left seat!

v-22 Osprey

I visited the American Helicopter Museum at West Chester Airfield, a while back and was delighted at the whole museum, which has been built and is manned largely by ex-employees of Boeing, Boeing-Vertol with some even dating back to the original Piasecki. Now that's going back some time.

Frank, who was described to me as being the best they had ever met or heard of, at getting money out of the gov't for his 'research' died only just this last Spring. I can't think of a better use for my tax money than to give some to Frank and see what he comes up with.

He was based at Lake Hurst, New Jersey in the Airship hangar, where the Hindenburg crashed. It is the partner to the hangar at El Toro. It's in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, out in the middle of nowhere. But comes up on you unexpectedly, a strange, archaic, alien structure. You expect to see creatures from outer space.

I had a great time talking to the old guys (why is it that when I look in a mirror all I see is this old geezer who has stolen my body). I warned the guys that my memory of the guys in the plant would be pretty vague as most of the 4 years that I spent at Boeing, I spent less than 6 months at the factory, but to my surprise I remembered quite a few.

That started a round (several rounds) of "Do you remember", the most memorable of which was when Frank Piasecki landed a prototype on the roof of strip shopping center (it's still there) that was being used as their offices and as he shut the bird down the transmission bearings all failed. If they had failed only seconds earlier a real catastophy would have resulted. "We were all so godamned young" one of them said. "We didn't realise the risks we were taking". "Just as well" someone said. They all laughed.

When I looked at the V-22 prototype, it was immediately apparent that the fuselage was an H-46 but in carbon composite. Most of the Senior engineers resonsible for the V-22 had started their careers on the H-46 so there is another link between the two.

It is certainly worth a trip if you are anywhere in the neighborhood. It covers all the American helicopters not just Vertol, I was told that Sikorski has been very helpful. It's interesting to note the extent of helicopter activity in the Delaware Valley. The guy who invented and developed the teeter-totter system that all the Bell helicopters use grew up just around the corner and many of the autogyro companies, such as Kellet and Pitcairn were located here.

John been there done that. I do live here in Ewing and have tried to find you in the phone listing. My son lives in Lawrenceville at 20 Darrah Lane. I worked at Mercer County Airport for 34 years. I have met old Frank and saw the video of his heavy lift with the four 34's when it crashed. One of the guys at Keystone Helicopters had it. I also worked for Agusta in N Philly for about 3 months in 1980 before I came back to Trenton to work for the RCA Corporate Flight Dept. Frank Piasecki used to eat at a place where we picked up our lunch when I worked for Agusta, he and his engineers would come in and eat there. At Mercer I worked for Ronson Helicopter (later Ronson Aviation) RCA, and Unisys Corporate Flt Dept. where I retired from.
S/F
Tim

Osprey

In 06 I visited our son at LeJune prior to his departure to 29 Palms and then to Iraq for another tour. While there, I visited New River, drove down to the old hangar area where there were a couple of 22's. I parked the car and walked out to the hangar, met a few Marines, gave my story about serving there in 65/66 with 264 and working in the very same hangar, about visiting our son prior to his deployment...anyway, I got a guided tour and pretty much crawled all over the 22. Sure a lot different than the old 34. Spent about an hour there, had lots of fun with all of the usual sea stories as only can be told by Marines.

I have found all of the bases I have visited very friendly and a willingness to let old Marines relive the past. Between Parris Island, New River, LeJeune and 29 Palms they have always shown me a good time. So, if anyone is in the area of a base, don't hesitate to visit...it's usually worth it.

S/F Gordo