Osprey Departs Owatonna Airport [VIDEO]

Refueled and ready to go, the MV-22B Osprey that landed at Owatonna Degner Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon got held up by a brief thunderstorm Wednesday morning.

About 30-40 people, many retired military members, gathered at the airport to watch the Marine aircraft take off. But they had to wait for a storm cell with lightning, thunder and rain to pass through before the crew decided it was safe to go. The plane, originally scheduled to take off about 8AM, finally got off the ground shortly before 9AM.

The Owatonna stop was scheduled so the crew could refuel and perform recruitment activities in the area before continuing on to its next base.

An already windy morning got even windier when the massive rotors began to spin, adding to the gusts. After all the preflight checks were cleared, the pilot taxied the massive plane to the runway, where it lifted straight up. After gaining altitude, the rotors tipped back down and the Osprey disappeared into the cloudy morning sky.