VMM 261 conducts flights to maintain readiness

Photo By Sgt. Shawn Valosin | Two MV-22B Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 (VMM-261) take off from Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., March 3, 2015 during a division flight exercise. Three Ospreys with VMM-261 flew around the Camp Lejeune vicinity, landing in various fields to maintain readiness and current with mandatory flight certifications. (U. S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shawn Valosin)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

03.06.2015

Story by Cpl. Shawn Valosin 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Landing in a war zone comes with a multitude of challenges. Once a landing zone is designated, pilots must take into account factors ranging from terrain features to local weather.

To prepare them for any environment and maintain readiness, pilots with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 trained in flight simulators, flew solo and in groups, and took off and landed in various fields in the vicinity of Camp Lejeune, Friday, March 6.

“Weather and environment can provide challenges and in some [scenarios] the aircraft isn’t as responsive as it is in others,” said Capt. Edward Rogers II, a pilot with VMM-261 and a native of Ottawa, Kansas. “Landing in a desert area, like Afghanistan, can create the challenge of a reduced visibility landing, or ‘brown-out,’ so that’s why we benefit from training at places like Mackall Army Air Field, [North Carolina] or Twentynine Palms, [California].”

Osprey pilots are not able to see the rear, sides or beneath the aircraft. Crew chiefs act as their eyes, with one Marine even laying on the opened ramp of the plane to get a better view of the landing gear. One miscalculation could cause severe damage to the aircraft, cargo and personnel inside, potentially crippling a mission. To prevent a calamity like that, VMM-261 conducted the division flight as if they were in a deployed environment, with constant communication between members and constant surveillance.

The division flight enhanced the skills necessary for challenges VMM-261 may face in a deployed environment.

• Date Taken: 03.06.2015
• Date Posted: 03.16.2015 16:09
• Story ID: 157133
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US
• Hometown: OTTAWA, KS, US