That (your subject line claim) is not what it says. You are mistaking the
questionable claim from a former OT&E guru as meaning that the aircraft was
not tested in vortex ring state conditions, which just ain't the case.

"...has proven its ability to function safely in potentially deadly rapid
descent conditions, the government's top test pilot said...Gross said they
have completed the tests necessary to document the tilt-rotor's response to
the dangerous vortex ring state condition that rotary wing aircraft
encounter when descending too quickly at low airspeed...Gross and other
members of the Osprey test team have said the tilt-rotor encounters vortex
ring state at much higher rates of descent than helicopters and recovers
better because it can move the rotors forward to quickly gain airspeed..."We
believe we have explored this enough," Gross said.

If you are going to try to summarize the gist of the article in your header,
at least get it right.

Brooks


"Henry J. Cobb" wrote in message
om...
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...cnsosprey.html
"They decided not to finish a second phase of vortex ring state testing."

-HJC