North American OV-10 Bronco

[Scott Youmans]

Entirely possible Chris.  I have heard of that happening.

Joe, Yes that is indeed a Mohawk off to the left. I wondered if you'd pick that up. Not many people would!

[Scott Youmans]

Another shot of 155472 this time at NAS North Island in 1980 while serving with VMO-4.

[Joe Copalman]

Wow.  That fuel tank is huge! 

Also, I love the Commander in the background.  Was that a Marine bird?

[Scott Youmans]

Now this is a huge fuel tank!  From the Norm Taylor collection.  Was shot at the Paris Air Show in June 1969. This OV-10A (155477) set a speed record flying across the Atlantic on the way to the show.  Hard to believe for a Bronco but it probably had something to do with how far it flew. Don't recall the specifics but it was written up in Air Progress Magazine at the time.  Looks like a wing tank off of an A-4, the later larger tank.

Not sure about the Commander in the background of the previous post. I don't think I even shot it if you can believe that. I was star struck by a whole squadron of OV-10s!

[Jay Beckman]

I must have posted this one in the CoNA thread originally.  Don't think there was an OV-10 thread at the time...

Click Image -> Larger Over Black

[Scott Youmans]

Jay, thanks for posting that great shot of 158301. Nice to see such a good clean digital photo of a Bronco in USMC markings. It worked out nicely that the German Broncos were given Bureau Numbers.  At least the owner of this one didn't have to make up a number.

[Scott Youmans]

This is a very interesting photo (to me at least!).  It shows the 6th YOV-10A which was the first of the seven prototypes to be retrofitted with a 40 foot span wing.  Note the long span flaps extending fairly close to the completely flat wing tips.  The production wing had the tail-boom attachment point 6 inches farther out and the flap sections outboard of the boom were identical in length to the inboard sections.  On this aircraft the outboard flap sections were much larger than the inboard sections.  At this early point in development the engine exhausts were still just straight pipes exiting the outboard sides of the booms. The area on the vertical stabilizers above the rudders was still per the original design.  This area went through several variations prior to being finalized. More on that in a later post.

North American Aviation photo

[Scott Youmans]

CDF (Cal Fire) OV-10A 155454 at Gateway, February 2011.  They appear to be maintaining them quite well.  Flew with VMO-2 for many years.

[Chris Kennedy]

I found this picture of 152885 that I took at an airshow at NATC Patuxent River in 1967. I guess this was the seventh and last of the YOV-10A's. I don't know if that is why it has a 7 on the tail or not.

[Scott Youmans]

Chris,  Thanks for posting that photo!  That is perhaps the very best photo of 152885 I have seen except for some B&W factory shots taken before it was painted. The "7" does in fact mean that it is the seventh prototype.  That particular prototype was powered by YT74 (PT6) turboprops instead of the T76 used on all the rest of the prototypes and production OV-10s.

[Joe Copalman]

Interesting set of stores on the pylons that I've never seen before.  Looks like fuel tanks or travel pods on the outboard stations, and I have no idea what they have on the inboard pylons.  Really cool shot, Chris.

[Scott Youmans]

No idea what those stores are.  Odd shape for travel pods but but that's what I thought they might be too.  I've seen some other shots taken of this aircraft at the same event but they were of very poor quality.

[Jay Beckman]

Gun Muzzle?

[Chris Kennedy]

Here's a zoom-in on the stores area with some lightening. Unfortunately, somebody's butt is in the way. (Do you believe that guy's wearing flip-flops to an air show?)

[Chris Kennedy]

Anybody know what happened to 152885?