Official VMM-261 Raging Bulls Flightline Qualification patch.
The maintenance Marines who sign the Osprey safe for flight — Raging Bulls flightline qual.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 (VMM-261), the "Raging Bulls," is a USMC MV-22B Osprey assault support squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina under Marine Aircraft Group 26 (MAG-26) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing — the fourth squadron in the Marine Corps to transition to the MV-22 Osprey. The squadron was established as Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron 261 (HMR-261) on April 5, 1951 at MCAS Cherry Point, moved to MCAS New River in 1954, was redesignated HMR(L)-261 in December 1956, then HMM-261 in 1961, and finally VMM-261 on April 10–11, 2008 when the CH-46E Sea Knights were retired and the MV-22B Ospreys arrived. The Raging Bulls have flown HRS-1, HUS-1/CH-34D, CH-46A/D/F/E, and now the MV-22B across more than seven decades of service — including Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. The Flightline Qualification (FLQ) patch identifies the maintenance Marines the squadron certifies to perform the most critical flightline functions — turnover, troubleshooting, plane captain duties, fuel sampling, and the safe-for-flight call. Earning the FLQ is the maintenance Marine's right of passage; this is the patch that marks it.
Perfect For: VMM-261 Raging Bulls active-duty and veteran Marines and Sailors, MV-22B Osprey Flightline Qualified maintenance Marines, plane captains, fuel handlers, and turn troubleshooters, HMM-261 CH-46 Sea Knight veterans, MCAS New River and MAG-26 Marines, Marine Air-Ground Task Force assault support enthusiasts, and Marine aviation maintenance community collectors.
VMM-261 Flightline Qual — sign 'em safe, turn 'em up, send 'em.
