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Apologies for change in subject heading (Adrian), but could not locate the last e-mail. Also LONG POSTING My personal conclusion after review of the Us DoD review published in April 2001 together with Futron: 1.) V22 not suitable for civilian air ops due to the following factors. 2.) Landing Zone diameter, at twice max rotor diameter, would be 168 feet. 3.) Excessive downwash. 4.) Unsuitability for intercalation with SAR functions such as winching. 5.) Whilst it's continual development may match US military requirements with reagrd to deployment, it does not match what would be recognised European standards of civilian air operations. With respect to the V22 Osprey(information from FAS Military Analysis Network): The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor vertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL). Two 6150 shaft horsepower turboshaft engines each drive a 38 ft diameter, 3-bladed proprotor. Combined max diameter is 84 feet. OT-IIB was conducted from September 9, to October 18, 1995, and comprised 10 flight hours in 18 OT&E flights, plus ground evaluations. A joint Air Force/Navy OT-IIB report was published. Partly in response to DOT&E concern expressed over the severity of V-22 downwash in a hover observed during OT-IIA, the Navy conducted a limited downwash assessment concurrently with OT-IIB, from July to October 1995. The OT-IIB report expressed serious concerns regarding the potential downwash effects, and recommended further investigation. While a limited assessment of downwash and workaround procedures was included in OT-IIC, complete resolution of the downwash issue will not be possible until the completion of OPEVAL, just prior to milestone III in 1999. Several areas of concern first discovered in OT-IIA or OT-IIB remain unresolved because of limitations to the EMD flight test operations. These concerns include severe proprotor downwash effects during personnel insertion and extraction via hoist or rope. In addition, concerns exist in the areas of communications, navigation , and crew field of view. New concerns arising from OT-IIC regarding the EMD schedule are being addressed by the program manager. Also, the reliability and maintainability of a few subsystems will require management attention The first prototype flew in 1989. As of early 2000 three test aircraft had crashed: no one was killed in the 1991 crash, an accident in 1992 killed seven men, and the third in April 2000 killed 19 Marines.