By Ward Carroll, NAVAIR Public Affairs, PMA-275

General Michael W. Hagee, the new Commandant of the Marine Corps, entered his name into the history book of naval aviation on January 8 by taking the first VIP flight in the V-22 Osprey since the aircraft’s return to flight in late May of last year. Osprey No. 21 was used for the 20-minute sortie, piloted by Lt. Col. Kevin Gross and Maj. Shawn Healy. Crew chief was Gy.Sgt. Dennis Oliverio. The flight was conducted from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, home of NAVAIR and headquarters for the V-22 Integrated Test Team.

“What a blast,” then-Lieutenant General Hagee gushed after the flight. “The acceleration when we converted from vertical to horizontal flight was unbelievable.”

In addition to the VIP flight, during his visit to Southern Maryland General Hagee also received a program overview from Col. Dan Schultz, PMA-275 and offered words of encouragement and praise to a gathering of engineers and technicians from the Osprey’s ITT.

“I want to congratulate the test team on all that’s been accomplished in recent months,” the general said. “The Marine Corps is depending on you to keep the press on in the future.”

Besides the flight crew, joining Gen. Hagee on the flight was Mr. Tom Laux, NAVAIR’s Program Executive Officer for Air, Assault, ASW, and Special Mission Programs.

“We’re proud to show the incoming commandant a first-class operation,” Mr. Laux said. “It’s important that General Hagee see firsthand the great work that’s going on here.” (General Hagee assumed the duties of the Commandant of the Marine Corps on January 13.)

Unfortunately, the ITT doesn’t have much time to bathe in the light of praise from these august sources. Among a host of events in the next few weeks, the Osprey team will continue High Rate of Descent Phase I testing on Aircraft No. 8, take Aircraft No. 10 to the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) for initial shipboard suitability testing, and accept delivery of Aircraft No. 22 from the Bell-Boeing plant in Amarillo.

Cut line for photo #1: General Hagee addresses members of the V-22 Integrated Test Team in Hangar 109 at NAS Patuxent River.

Cut line for photo #2: General Hagee poses in front of Osprey No. 21 before his flight.