RipVW Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 No, I didn't say Bronco's fans - you Denver followers can drop this string right now. Below is an OV-10G - a variation of the Bronco I had never known of until yesterday. The aircraft was at Marsh Aviation on Falcon Field, Mesa AZ. From what little I could dig up, this was a Korean version of the OV-10. What's unusual are the four bladed props, uprated - compact turbine engines, and some sort of optical site or range finder on the nose ahead of the cockpit. Anyone with more details is welcome to chime in. ATB - - Rip - Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 (edited) I couldn't find out that much about the OV-10G but it does appear it was used in South Korea. (the OV-10G that is, not this specific airframe) Edited July 21, 2006 by David Walker Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Actually I did find some photos of it on this site when it was a OV-10D with the Marine Corp back in 1989: http://www.ov-10bronco.net/usmc-1.cfm Also from the J. Baugher site it started as a OV-10A then was upgraded to OV-10D: 155492 (c/n 305-103, OV-10D) to AMARC as PA0012 Apr 16, 1993. Noted Oct 7, 2004 at Boeing Facility, Mesa, AZ, allegedly to go to Colombian AF. Apparently it didn't go to Colombia. Link to post Share on other sites
Chappie Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 (edited) Rip, Did you get any other shots. Kinda hard to see the engines. Never saw a Bronco up close until 2000 at Patrick AFB. My wife and I had checked into the Holiday Inn in Cocoa Beach, while we were unpacking the car I heard an airplane sound like I'd never heard before. I looked to the south and saw the unmistakeable shape of two OV-10s. When we did our grocery shopping at Patrick later we drove by the two, they were black with red stripes as I recall. DEA I figured. I'd love to get some stick time in one of those babies. I bet they are a blast to fly. Wonder if Neil Burkill will see this thread!? Chappie Edited July 21, 2006 by Chappie Link to post Share on other sites
Trigger Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 (edited) "DOS Airwing" - I'll bet it's one of the State Dept. anti-drug aircraft. It may have gone to Columbia, just not part of their Air Force. And it looks like the sponsons have been removed from the fuselage and armor plating added on the sides of the cockpit. Edited July 21, 2006 by Trigger74 Link to post Share on other sites
ScaleAero Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) The mystery "sight" mounted on the nose is actually the GPS Cylon light used to indicate end of "row" when spraying defoliant... ;^) It lights up to indicate where to begin a run and gives indication of the row to lay down your favorite herbicide agent. This airframe is pretty well documented photographically online. A person posted probably ten or more images taken during the ramp up. By the way, what does S. Korea need with another target? Get real guys, 300 mph doesn't an escape make....this is and will always be a jungle bird...darting in and out of the trees. S. Korea...come on... you are stuck in your D SLEP mindset. Edited July 22, 2006 by ScaleAero Link to post Share on other sites
Hans Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) That's just an uprated OV-10D+ Marsh Aviation made a program to upgrade existing OV-10s of all variants, from As to D+s Philippine Air Force OV-10As & OV-10Cs are receiving this same upgrade under the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), and plans to bring back mothballed airframes to flight ready status. I've never heard of South Korea being interested in the OV-10 at all, nor that I've heard of them having (or planning to buy) one... Those armor plates & sensors on the nose are already installed on the State Dept. birds before receiving these upgrades Apparently, one of these two was lost in a crash, the pilot killed & the observer ejected. Initial reports says its engine failure, because the starboard engine caught fire, but the final report says its pure pilot error. Upon catching fire, the crew panicked, (never realizing that the OV-10 is still flying with one healthy engine), the observer ejected, sending the airplane on a spin, with the pilot still inside, pilot tries to steer it away from houses and crashes in a fishpond, but he wasn't able to eject in time... Ironically, this is practically the SAME scenario when we lost one of our few female combat ready pilots of the OV-10. Tsk tsk tsk... When my father and his mates were still flying these planes, they always simulate these kind of scenario when teaching new pilots, and there are incidences that it really happened, but not one of them were lost in a crash of this cause, because that can still manage to fly the airplane, and keep their cool... Edited July 22, 2006 by Hans Link to post Share on other sites
ScaleAero Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 (edited) I'm shocked no one mentioned the broadcast "spreader" for defoliants. Look at the rear of the fuselage. Note the plumbing on the aft of the fuselage. There are two types of herbicide spray/spreader units on Brocos...A and D models and the retrofits to G. They are like the one shown in an earlier photo or spray bars hung beneath the wing and prop wash for a wider swath than the original unit. Here is a closer look at the "Cylon" eye used as a visual indicator of the GPS unit to indicate start and stop point for the pilot or backseater to start and stop releasing defoliant spray/spreading. For current events and configurations of the Bronco visit the OV-10 Bronco Association web site to obatin not only text descriptions but the latest factual images related to the most recent configurations. Jami Mari, my daughter is producing a documentary, "OV-10, The Life & Death Of A Warbird". This project is expected to be released in late September of '06. Focused on the Men, Mission, and Mechanics of the OV-10, you are placed in the cockpit, on the tarmac maintaining and living with this greying War Horse. Bronco Association: http://www.ov-10bronco.net/ Edited July 22, 2006 by ScaleAero Link to post Share on other sites
Neil Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Wonder if Neil Burkill will see this thread!? :lol: Chappie Just need to pull my finger out and finish those u/c legs .... B) Link to post Share on other sites
Keith Diamond Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Those are interesting pics of Phil AF OV-10s. I've always had an interest in OV-10s and have the Cutting Edge decal sheet to represent the 16th Attack Squadron of the Phil AF. They had a very much different scheme, and a different sharks mouth on the front. Thanks for posting those as well. Link to post Share on other sites
Chappie Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Those shots of the black OV-10s look like the ones I saw at Patrick AFB in 2000. It does not seem to me the armor plating would much for protecting anything but the crew's legs. Chappie Link to post Share on other sites
Trigger Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 It does not seem to me the armor plating would much for protecting anything but the crew's legs. I guess it would really depend on the relative positions of the shooter and the Bronco; anything that keeps small arms fire outside the cockpit. Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Those Philippine OV-10s look real sharp. Probably the best Broncos I've ever seen. Link to post Share on other sites
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