While many Durango residents were looking into empty cups or waiting in lines to sample local cuisine at Sunday’s Taste of Durango, it was hard not to notice the two CV-22 Osprey aircraft that made a few laps over downtown.
The Ospreys, part helicopter and part fixed-wing aircraft, warranted double-takes from many witnesses.
Each wing, over 40 feet in length, is mounted with Rolls Royce-Allison turbo shaft engine and propeller groups – 6,200 horsepower each – that can rotate up and lift the aircraft like a helicopter, then rotate forward and propel it like an airplane.
The 22-foot-tall CV-22 – reaching a cruising speed of 277 mph, according to the U.S. Air Force website – was designed for the unique needs of U.S. Army Special Forces.
Apparently a common sight in the Land of Enchantment, the CV-22s above Durango had some local witnesses puzzled.
Flight training using CV-22s began from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque in 2006. However, on Sunday, no one could be reached at Kirtland to determine if the two Ospreys that buzzed the Taste of Durango originated from the base.
Herald Staff
