Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. -- 12,500 thousand feet in the air, an MV-22B Osprey is traveling at just under 150 miles per hour, the back ramp is open, what is the first thing special operators do?
Jump out.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 provided support to special operators, including Navy SEALs, Air Force combat controllers and Army Special Forces, with parachute operations in Emporia Airfield, Va., Feb. 20-21. The special operators performed military free falls from 12,500 feet in the air from two MV-22B Ospreys and a static line jump from 1,500 feet.
The special operators were ready at the rendezvous point when the Ospreys landed. They put their packs on and within a few minutes they were ascending into the skies.
The aircraft circled around and a countdown began. The pilots called out five minutes and the SEALs double-checked their parachutes. The crew chiefs constantly communicated with the jumpmaster aboard the aircraft, relaying the information to the pilots.
When the pilot called out two minutes, the SEALs lined up in a single line formation and prepared to jump out of the Osprey, which was going just under 150 miles per hour. The winds at 12,500 feet were moving at 80 miles an hour.
The jumpmaster controlled the jump. The crew chief just told him when he was within the space to leap, but he had final call on when the jump happened. The jumpmaster eyed the ground, waiting for the perfect time to soar. He poked his head up and yelled, “Go!”
The first SEAL jumped out of the aircraft headfirst. All the other SEALs took a step and dived out of the Osprey.
Both the Ospreys circled around the area until all the service members landed
“They were packed and ready to go again before the time we were on deck,” said Lance Cpl. Shawn Perry, VMM-263 Osprey crew chief. “Working with them was a lot easier than I thought it would be. All our calls and signals were uniform across the board. It was easy to get our mission accomplished.”
Capt. Andrew Bankston, VMM-263 pilot training officer and mission’s section leader, said the mission went almost exactly as planned. He added the Osprey crews were able to gain a lot of experience for future parachute operations.
“This helps us build relationships with other services now, so when we deploy we can work with them,” said Bankston