North American OV-10 Bronco

[Joe Copalman]

Looks like they might be dummy Mk.81s or 82s.  One looks like it has a hole for a fuse to be installed.

[Scott Youmans]

Joe, you might be right about the stores on the inner racks. They do look like "fuseless" low-drag bombs.  The two silver stores remain a mystery.

Chris, I've been wondering about the fate of the prototypes for a long time. As far as I know 152879 is at China Lake in poor condition. 152880 is at a museum in the mid-west. 152881 was destroyed in a fire at a museum in Michigan. That was the heavily modified one that NASA flew with rotating cylinder flaps.  The rest I'm not sure about.  I heard one went to a school but that's about all I know.

An early production aircraft was destroyed during testing. According to Ed Gillespie, Chief Test Pilot, the pilot was seriously injured, never fully recovered, and died a few years later.  The tail booms failed in a high speed dive. I'm pretty sure that's at least one reason for the dorsal fins having been added.  The first dozen or so production aircraft from each service, USAF and USMC, did not have them but they were added fairly soon.  These add-ons were different looking dorsal fins than the remainder of the production run.  The early ones were less refined looking and were obviously not just lightweight aerodynamic structures.  I'll post some photos as I get the time.

For what was supposed to be a simple airplane there was a lot of R&D done between the first flight and the production aircraft.  Some of it had to do with drag reduction due to a Navy requirement for a maximum dive speed of 426 kts! Production aircraft were limited to 350 kts but 426 kts could be achieved if you knew how to do it.  The flight manual actually gives the redline in terms of Mach number!  Apparently even 350 isn't easy to reach without some effort and that's going straight down!

There were some issues with airflow around the intersection of the vertical stabilizers/rudders and the horizontal stabilizer/elevator.  The horizontal stab airfoil on the early prototypes was flat on top and curved on the bottom like and upside down Clark-Y.  This was later changed to a symmetrical laminar flow section probably to reduce trim drag at high speeds. The shape of the vertical stabs up near the intersection with the horizontal stab went through several iterations.

The wing also went through many changes but that will have to wait for another post!  Of course the obvious change was growing from a span of 30 ft to 40 ft.

[Chris Kennedy]

It's been repainted still again, Vance. Take a look at this photo taken by a friend of mine in September, 2011.

http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframePhotoViewer.php?Serial=6124

[wingsnstuff]

I think I like the mottled grey look better.

[Joe Copalman]

I think I like the mottled grey look better.

I agree.  494 actually wore a desert scheme during the Gulf War, but these colors are WAAAAAAY off, almost pastel-like.  What an unfortunate Crayolaflage paint job.

[Chris Kennedy]

FLAM used to have a guy that was very meticulous about accurate paint schemes. The one on the Harrier matches pretty much exactly the one that I shot on the same aircraft in 1972 when it was still in service. I wonder if he left.

[Chris Kennedy]

For Bronco fans on the San Diego Air & Space Museum Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/6893256719

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10G - Coolidge 4-25-2005

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10G in flight near Roosevelt Lake - 2005

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10G Departing Falcon Field - 2006

[Scott Youmans]

Convair Model 48 Charger - Built to compete in the Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) contest that the OV-10A ultimately won.  Sound familiar?

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10A - BLM Fire Center, Boise, Idaho - September 1992
Inspired by the recent fire related activity here in Arizona.

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10As - George AFB, September 1986

[Scott Youmans]

OV-10A Bronco - BuNo 155475 at Camp Pendleton, May 21,1981

[Joe Copalman]

27th TASS?  (George shot).  Always liked their rearing-stallion markings.