As I stood at the waterfront in Georgetown last Friday, I heard a rumble approaching. Was it an aircraft? Was it a helicopter? Suddenly a loud, slow aircraft appeared low in the sky above the Potomac River. It was probably the strangest looking aircraft that I had ever seen.
I had read about the MV-22 Osprey, but had never seen one. The Osprey combines the functionality of a helicopter with that of an aircraft and has tilt rotors that allow it to perform vertical takeoffs and landings.
This Marine Corps aircraft was at the tail end of a small flight of helicopters that was heading toward the White House. Perhaps it was providing additional security, given that it was September 11 when I took the photos, or may have merely been transporting part of the President’s entourage.
The first two photos show the Osprey in flight. I was pleased to be able to get these shots despite the fact that I had only a 24-105mm lens on my camera at the time. The third shot is of one of the other helicopters in the group. The “white top” helicopters are usually associated with the Marine Corps detachment that supports the President. The final shot shows a couple of the presidential helicopters as they fly toward the White House.
I thought about cloning out the small jet in the first photo, but decided that I like the way that it almost looks like the Osprey is stalking the jet.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I always love spending time in DC, there is so much to see…Great photos.
Thanks, Charlie. DC is a fun place for photography, with interesting people and sights galore.
Not the kind of Osprey you typically photograph, Mike!
Nope. I deliberately mislead my readers with that title, but found this osprey to be as intriguing as my more familiar one.
That is a strange looking aircraft. My son works at an airbase near there; I’ll have to ask him if he’s seen it.
Cool shots, thats my kind of Osprey.. 🙂
I thought you’d be one of the ones to like it, Ed.