On a day patrol off Hill 55 in early 1971, our squad of Marines got caught out in an open area of sand and were pinned down on the opposite side of the Arizona Territory at the Song Vu Gia river by an NVA ambush. The arty on hill 55 almost hit us with Willie Peter. I called for air support and got an OV-10 out of Da Nang with the callsign "HOSTAGE FANG." After he understood what side of the river we were on, he said, "Put your heads down, gents. This stuff bounces." He then proceeded to blast that side of the river and after that we were able to walk away without another hostile shot being fired at us. Brother, if you are out there and see this, many thanks. I will never forget. L/Cpl. P. D. "Gov" Regan, Mco 3/1 1st MARDIV. 👍
Hey sir, glad you & your marines made it out... and thanks for your service devil dog. Just wondering, on a semi-random other side not... wasn't Hill 55 also largely the hill where Carlos Hathcock operated out of during much of his time in-country??
I had the privilege of serving with VAL-4, the Black Ponies, in 1971-'72. The OV-10 still has a place in my affection. It was the most willing little aircraft.
My thanks to you for your service, and the highest praise I can ever receive is from individuals such as yourself who were there and served with these incredible machines.
My brother Leon served two tours in Vietnam in the back seat of an 0V10. Unfortunately, he and his pilot were killed in South Korea, in 1979, while on deployment. Thank you for for remembering. Rest in peace Lt. Leon Gingras.
I worked for your Brother Leon (Lee) in Maintenance Control and on the Flight Line as a Plane Captain 74-75 in VMO-2 at Camp Pendleton before leaving for OCS and eventually becoming a Naval Aviator, for which Lee was instrumental in helping me get accepted to the Enlisted Commissioning Program (Aviation). He was a mentor to me. Was in A-6 training with another former VMO-2 Pilot who knew Lee very well, Don Bruey, when we received word of his accident, and boy was that a shock. He was a CWO when I worked for him. A shock as well to see your post here! RIP Leon Gingras.
My dad was one of those Marines who use to parachute out the back of them. He said the pilot would just pull the nose up and they would all slide right out 😂
I was a US Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-1969 and the OV-19 occasionally supported us by controlling airstrikes on enemy positions that were difficult for us to observe from our ground positions. Loved when an OV-10 was overhead.
Thank you for your service, Marine! My father was US Army 66-68, you were there during the thick of it. I am glad the OV-10 helped you and your fellow Marines on the ground and your comment - from someone who was there - is the very best kind of feedback I can get.
Thank you for your service, Marine! My father was US Army 66-68, you were there during the thick of it. I am glad the OV-10 helped you and your fellow Marines on the ground and your comment - from someone who was there - is the very best kind of feedback I can get.
My dad was Force Recon from '59-'70. He died in '87 when I was still a kid so I never got to talk to him about it. We learned he was Force Recon and about some of the things he did from guys who found us after he had died. When he died, he was a civilian employee working at a sporting goods rental shop on an Air Force base in Wyoming. …but over 1500 people from around the world came to his funeral.
much thanks for making this video! my dad flew OV-10s for the Philippine Air Force before he honorably left the service to fly as a civilian, and I was able to watch them fly in and out of our home air base almost on a daily basis, and even get to enjoy seeing annual live fire demos 🤩🤩 the particular plane that bore his name when it first arrived in the PAF fleet (ex USAF 67-14636) is still flying to this day, and has been wired to employ GBU-49 laser JDAMs... one of the planes in the PAF fleet that he also flew, ex USAF 67-14639, was actually one of the planes that exchange pilots from the RAAF flew during the Vietnam War, and was one of the air assets employed during the infamous BAT21 CSAR mission... after 639 was prematurely retired due to extensive airframe corrosion, the PAF donated the airplane to the Australian War Memorial museum in Canberra, where it was fully restored for display, painted back into the original USAF scheme it wore during the conflict...
I remember this plane very well. My father worked at North American Aviation in Columbus Ohio and was a wing fabricator for the OV-10 and many many other aircrafts. During the Vietnam War, I was in junior high in 1965 when my father first started mentioning him working on this plane. By the time I reached high school in 1968 as a 15 year old, with cousins, uncle and a brother all fighting in "Nam", I had a lot of interests in the machinery and equipment used to fight that war. I felt proud my Dad was helping to contribute to that effort. I joined the Air Force in 1972 and my father continued his efforts in building aircrafts that helped fight that war.
I worked at NAA in Columbus in the early 80’s as a design engineer… I actually worked on the OV-10 Life Extension Program. Great little airplane… lots of memories.
Thank you and to me that’s the best indicator that I did an airplane justice in my videos, I am honored by them sharing their experiences here. Thanks for commenting!
Two buds , traveling in real twin performance ! Wouldn’t that be cool ? Personal urine bottle is necessary - Now , if I can get my AV - Nut brother in-law to fork over his half !
I saw other comments about how Recon Marines were parachuted by the OV-10. So here is a funny story. In the last quarter of my dads 20 years in the Corps he transferred to motor transport. He figured it would help develop some skills for the civilian world when he retired. One of his first assignments was with Recon. One Recon Marine told him of his first time "jumping" from a Bronco. When deploying from this bird the pilot would pull straight up and the Marines would just fall out the back. I guess no one told this Marine of the procedure. He was first in the plane so last one out. The pilot opened the back and went vertical. The maneuver startled him so bad he went spread eagle and locked himself before he could fall out. Before he could come to grips with the situation the pilot had leveled out and closed the back. When they got back to base they heard the banging when they shut the plane off and found a very confused Marine still in the back.
@@trentonarney6066 That’s hilarious! I worked on these beautiful birds in the 1980’s. The vertical recon dump was and remains an awesome experience for those birds still flying. No faster way to insert a team.
Im glad they are bringing back the videos on the OV-10! They need to bring it back!! and live by the words if its not broke then dont fix it !@@brianb-p6586
As shown by another reply, it is simply unknown by some people and you can't forget what you never knew. A lot of people. I get why. As awesome as it looks to anyone who knows what it is for, it really isn't anywhere near as sexy as an A-10 or AH-64 or really any other attack style platform. Not when a person is making some video that just needs something catchy (youtube, tv, streaming, doesn't matter, anything even just some random website). Especially once you get things that are so ludicrously iconic as brrrrrrrrrrrt.
I have 3000 hrs on this bird and I love it! So versatile and at the same time very forgiving. You forgot to mention it has counter rotatating prop hence no tourqe and can still climb with a single engine. We also used this for cloud seeding operations. I miss this bird and can proudly say I am a bronco jock!
@@blockchainreaction762 Hey, thanks for responding. An ejection seat makes sense for the design of the aircraft. I can imagine if it's in a steep descent and picking up speed when the driver needs to bail, it would be perilous without an ejection seat.
I have seen the Cal Fire (California's Wild Fire Service) OV-10s acting as aerial spotters and guide planes for the larger water tanker planes which drop water and retardant on wildfires here! Love the OV-10... great second life in the fire-fighting role!
My wife and I were driving through Hemet, Ca. the other day when we saw a CalFire OV-10 Bronco taking off from Hemet airport. She asked me what kind of plane it was and I said “That’s an OV-10 Bronco, one of the best planes the Corps used during Vietnam”. I was a L/CPL aboard Camp Hansen Okinawa from 3/75 to 4/76 and had OV-10s flying over our training all the time. We even had a couple land on the USS New Orleans (LPH-11) when we were at sea. They were some cowboys for sure. I saw those boys push that plane around like nothin. Uhrahhhh! Semper Fi!
Hearing one circling the area around my home with, S-2ATs nearby, is an attention getter in the summer. But sure glad the CAL FIRE air attack bse base is only 5 miles away
When CalFire switched from the O-2 Skymaster to the Bronco, our Air Attack Officers’ biggest complaint was that they would arrive over the fire scene before they had time to get their maps out.
@schmittbox7616 My uncle had a civilian skymaster. Haven't seen anybody talk about it besides an O-2 being at the Dayton Air Force Museum in one of the hanging displays. Always gives me joy seeing someone mention it so they're not completely forgotten
Retired Cal Fire aerial supervisor here. The Bronco is the best platform I ever was able to work in. The O2 was the workhorse before we put the OV-10 in service. The tandem seating allowed us to maneuver in both directions as needed where you can't in side by side seating. Totally awesome airplanes. Besides it looks like the Batman alarm in the sky!
I just happen to be one of the Navy Aviation Ordnance men (AO) who worked on the OV -10 (I was assigned to VS-41) when the first 2 Broncos were delivered (air frame numbers 155470 and 155472) to the Navy. I don't think that there is an AO who worked on Bronco's that did not enjoy the experience. VAL- 4 went on to be the best known OV-10 squadron, I am proud to have been a small part in their history. The Navy still has an OV-10. 155472 now lives at the Navy Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida. I don't know if this is still true, but 155470 was at one time used for mosquito suppression in, I believe, the coastal area of South Carolina, as it was, minus the M-60's. Very nice video, ;-)
I can confirm that the OV-10 is currently used in South Carolina. A bit unnerving the first time it came over at what seemed like a very low altitude- the county (Beaufort) lets people know when it will be operating.
why the hell dont we use these nowadays? we need something cheap and reliable and with modern warfare drones can protect these while they do their activities
We have three Broncos at the museum where I work (including one of the original factory mock-ups), one of which is painted in memory of Captain Steven Bennett, the only Bronco pilot to be a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
we still use there here in my country.. guess the place...... one of the problems we have now is electrical issues due to age. but someone needs to remake the bronco
My father was a Mustang & served 26 yrs in the Corps (Enlisted at 17 & was a B.A.R. Gunner in Korea & Retired a Maj after two tours in Vietnam w/ 4th Bat/12th Mar/3rd Mar Div '66-'67 & 4th Bat/11th Mar/1st Mar Div '70-71') and I loved and remember in the late 60's & early 70's him taking us often to watch the Bronco's operating at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Orange County, CA. As we lived at US Navy/USMC Pacific Heights Housing Annex, San Pedro, CA., which now is USAF Housing Annex, Pacific Heights.
Thanks to him for his service - I hope this video brought back some fond memories for you. If I ever start another channel the B.A.R. and John Browning would definitely be a topic I'd explore in a video. Greetings from Texas!
When we closed down El Toro in the late 90s one of the last things we did was move the museum down with us to Miramar in San Diego and I specifically remember helping move the Bronco they had there to it's new spot. I always wondered who flew it and if they ever game to look at it. I was just a Heavy Equipment operator, but it was a neat experience.
When I was a Camp Pendleton in the early 1990s, it was so cool to see an OV-10 pull up into a climb and see a bunch of Recon Bubba's parachute out the back. Very cool aircraft.
Haha awesome! I was in BCo. 1/1 outta Camp Horno 90-96. As I was watching this video I was thinking Jesus I think I remember seeing a couple of these things dropping a couple guys out the back… No maybe I’m making that up?? Then I saw your comment.Semper Fi.
I worked at US Forces Japan from 1980-1983. In 1982, a flight of two OV-10s was flying in formation from Osan Air Base, Korea to Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan, to participate in the annual Yokota Air Show. As the approached the coast of Jaoan, they ran into thick clouds and the wingman l9st sight of the lead plane. Rather than pull away to ensure separation, the wing pilot got obsessed with switching to instrument flight, allowing his plane to drift too close to the lead plane, his left propeller cutting the right tail.boom of the lead plane. The lead plane came apart, pitching nose down. The pilot hit the ejection seats, but in that odd attitude the parachute for the passenger (a TSgt maintenance crew member being rewarded for outstanding performance) got wrapped around the ejection rocket of his seat and.burned up. It took about 5 minutes for him to fall to earth. The wing plane's engine came apart and the crew ejected. I served as legal advisor to the aircraft accident investigation board comvened by the brigadier general commanding USFJ/ 5th Air Force.
Bill Beckett was my older Cousin. Whenever I was around him, I was always asking him about stories concerning his history of flying and building planes. He was also a member of the Black Sheep Squadron in WWII
Yup. One of the first military aircraft alongside Hercules that i ever saw directly in my childhood. As my home was next door from the Indonesian Air Force barack in Lombok, spend kindergarten on theirs, and near the airport at that time. We got a chance to see them in person and some kid were lucky enough to get in and be photographed with them.
I worked on and supervised the maintenance of the OV-10A for 6 years in the U.S.A.F after I transferred from C-130's. Love that plane! easy to work on and always enjoyed wathing the take off and landings. Msgt. USAF retired
As a military aircraft, I'm afraid that the Bronco's day is done. The Philippines are phasing them out, replacing them with Super Tocanos. They are maxed out in weight, decreasing performance. And there is the unfortunate fact that no aircrew has ever survived ditching one.
I would have to disagree, if you modernize a Bronco to today standards, it would be a better performing and economical option over the Tucano in my opinion. Just look at the AH-1, UH-1, and CH-47s, all have been and still are being upgraded and are far superior than when they first came out!
@@txvet7738the problem is, North American is no longer existing unlike Bell and Boeing to make a new version of OV-10 Bronco. COIN aircrafts were dominated by Embraer's Super Tucano.
@@txvet7738, that depends on who, if anyone, is willing to do it. The Philippine Air Force wasn't. The last ejector seat modification added 1,600 pounds to the airframe, maxing it out. Too much time and effort, to modify, when they could simply buy brand new, and at a sweet price, at that. And that last niggling little "fun fact", was the final straw, that truly hung the millstone around the Bronco's neck, here. And keep in mind that two civil wars are happening here, one against ISIS, the other against Communists. The PAF has no time to wait around.
Considering I fly on the OV-10A in the course of my duties, I can confidentiality say that it is an aircraft still very much in use. Funky plane with some unique characteristics, but perfect for the ATGS role. You can expect them to keep flying for at least another 20 years; we did just aquire 5 additional D model airframes this year.
I had the honor of serving as an OV-10 Life Support Systems Technician (Ejection Seat Mech) with VMO-1 from 1990-1992. To get to Operation Desert Storm, we deployed with the USS Roosevelt and America Battle Groups. Flying off the carriers 100 miles from the coast of Spain, we stopped at several Mediterranean countries until finally arriving at King Abdul Aziz Air Base just south of the Port of Jubail. I am proud to state that we never missed a sortie during Operation Desert Storm, maintaining 100% mission capability throughout the conflict. We suffered a great loss on 2/25/91 when Major Small and Captain Spellacy were shot down over Kuwait. Major Small became a POW who was later released, but Captain Spellacy was killed. I am happy to see this video as it shows these fine Marine Officers and their aircraft haven’t been forgotten. It also makes me thankful that I and my fellow Marines who kept these aircraft operational can share the love of our awesome weapons delivery platform, the OV-10! Thank you!
Great piece. Love the ridiculous versatility of the Bronco. Grew up seeing it at a base near my home. Bien Hoa = “Be-in wha” in the north and “Bean wha” in the south.
I was a Marine rigger for OV-10’s serving with VMO-6 out of MCAS Futema OK in 74-75. This was a great plane and I was fortunate to fly many test hops on it. It was a joy to fly and a few of my fellow pilots allowed me to have a hand at flying them. Very cool lil bird indeed.
We must have served together. I was in VMO 6 from Dec ‘74 to Jan 76. Was Leonard your NCOIC. I still have the infamous VMO 6 Christmas Cards from 74 and 75. Edit: that may have been Bill Leopold. It was a long time ago.
COIN is the least of our worries since we've found out that the age of full-scale war is back. That being said, the Bronco was an awesome piece of kit 😁
I don't know. It wouldn't take much to have shaped radio jammers on it, just crashing UAVs out of the sky. There's better platforms for that, but if push came to shove, the Bronco might ride again in some role.
@@mrico523 considering Ukraine is using prop trainers with a door gunner to intercept drones in the air, I could see COIN craft to be another anti-drone layer behind the front lines in a full-scale shooting war.
While stationed at Ubon Thailand in 1971 I decided to spend my day off at NKP, just to check out the arrivals and departures. Besides the always impressive Caribou, one hotshot OV-10 pilot did a fast downwind, then with wings almost vertical turned base and final over the end of the runway, hit the deck and stopped on a dime. It was the best carrier landing I've ever seen.
Never worked on or flew an OV-10, but as a flight sim enthusiast, the OV-10 has always been one of my favorite aircraft. Its striking appearance first attracted me, but the performance of the craft in simulation kept me coming back for more.
Incredible, thank you for bringing this very well done informative piece of flying history. I wasn’t aware of the OV-10. I truly enjoyed watching, I could have taken in a whole lot more info. Again thank you us, the ones that didn’t know about this amazing aircraft.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I am glad you learned about a new airframe - aviation is fascinating and I will work on finding more unusual aircraft to make videos of. Cheers!
I served as a Marine Corps parachute rigger 7113, at camp Pendleton with 1st VMO-5 then HML-267. 1967-68. We were the the 1st to receive the Broncos, we were a training squadron. We received training on how to pack the chutes in the new container (pack) with explosive cutters & actuators, I was the paraloft NCOIC. I was in VN in 66 and my tour was coming to an end. Semper Fi Great Plane!
The Nevada Division of Forestry used it as well. There was a privately owned one based at Carson City Airport i used to see flying around from time to time.
I was Parachute rigger in the Marine Corps from 85 to 89 and parachuted out of a Bronco while with a Marine Force Reconnaissance unit in the late 80’s then had them overhead fighting wildfires in California as private contractor when I finally retired in 2022.
Back in the 90s, DynCorp was granted a contract to spray the coca fields of Colombia (and possibly other ops) to deny the FARC of their revenue sources. DynCorp decided surplus OV-10s were the platform of choice. They also determined Daytona to be the ideal midpoint for refueling and staging. It was two years of Daytona becoming a defacto base for OV-10 operations. They have a distinct sound of high RPM props with 60s jet screech. Coincidentally, this was also around the period when Daytona was also a primary base for post-Hurricane Andrew relief efforts. Those efforts saw massive use of CH-47 Chinooks flying in and out in long streams of 12 or more. It was a great time to be an aviation freak.
I was on holiday in England this summer. I was at the Weald of Kent Steam show with my classic caravan. Now this show is in somebody’s backyard, actually it’s a farm, where he has an airstrip. Several planes came and went. This man collects planes and has friends that come visit with their planes. I saw a Pitt’s special and even the red baron’s Fokker Triplane among others. A few times a Spitfire flew over the place. At some point one of these Broncos came in. I didn’t know what it was. It had German markings. And landed on a dime. Thanks for informing me about this remarkable plane. Learnt something today.
The air base, Bien Hoa (bee-en, wah, short “a”) was a major air base in III Corps, near Saigon. It’s where I landed and left Vietnam back in 69-70. Most troops for the south landed there to be shuttled off to Long Binh (long, bin), 90th Replacement for assignments. After assignment, you’re shuttled back to Bien Hoa to fly out to wherever your new unit is based. Mine was Phuoc Vinh (fook, vin), 31st Combat Engineers. They were assigned to support the 1st Cav. Good video.
In 1977 I was posted to Camp Schwab, Okinawa when I was buzzed by an OV 10 on the coast road, just for fun. I have seen an OV-10 land in less than 100 ft on an expeditionary airfield.
I am Scottish and lived in the Philippines for 10 years and used to see the Bronco at a number of local airports, mainly in the South. They were used extensivley for COIN ops against the Islamic Terrorists in the region. One of my Fav aircraft.
Again I learned more Juan. Thanks for another great post. My father worked with Bronco's as FAC and following some mission, would fly post mission assessments with his buddy, an OV-10 driver. Pop loved the Bronco. Bronco, kinda the forefather of the of Warthog, but Bronco didn't take as high dose of steroids, took the seventies to up the dosage. LOL p.s. I work with a fellow that few OV-10s and OA-10s as FAQ n the desert wars.
we use the OV-10's here in the Philippines as a bomber for COIN ops in Mindanao and other parts of the country with rebel insurgents. I never thought those where such a beauty and also a beast of an aircraft!
« A LONELY KIND OF WAR » written by Marshall harrison. If you want stories about the OV10 Bronco, it’s one of the best read about vietnam and about aviation I have ever had. Very nice video, the 3d views are very interseting. The models looks nice too. Great channel. Thank you.
Add "Flying Black Ponies" by Kit Lavell and "Da Nang Diary" by Tom Yarborough to the list. Agreed, Great video. Well done. This from a person that loves the OV-10, truly my favorite airplane. Although, the closest to flying it has been with a simulator that rhymes with "explain." 😂 Saw plenty of them at work, though: USMC 1980-1990.
Growing up just a few streets over from our little Mansfield Municipal Airport sparked in me a love of aviation that I’ve had my entire life. Seeing old military planes there always reminded me of my great uncle, Army Ranger Howard Galipeau’s mysterious end aboard the now infamous 1962 Flying Tiger Line Flight 739… This tragedy has affected not only my family but all the families of the over one hundred servicemen that were killed with him that day. The fact that the events of that fateful day have willfully remained shrouded in secrecy for over 60 years have caused those wounds to never fully heal. My family had proudly served this great nation for generations up until then but no longer. A government that refuses to bring much needed peace & closure to these families that have sacrificed so much deserves not another life lost from those families in service to it. I think my great uncle Howard & his Bothers in Arms would have loved this plane had they lived to see it and I know they would have proudly fought knowing that the OV-10 would have had their back. Thank you for sharing this incredible aircraft with us and thank you to all the servicemen & their families that gave their lives in service to our great nation, may we be deserving of their sacrifice. Remember the U.S.S. Liberty. America First, Christ is King.
My dad was Force Recon from '59-'70 with combat tours in Vietnam in '65, '66, '68, and '69. He absolutely loved the Broncos and the Skyraiders. His words "There's something comforting about planes with propellers covering you, you just know damn well they weren't gonna miss." He didn't talk a lot about the war, and I didn't even know he was Force Recon until after he died in '87 and his old war buddies tracked us down. That's when we learned about Studies & Observations. All he ever used to say was he was "Advanced Infantry, it wasn't anything special." but he had so many snippets he would tell me when he would play with my GI Joes with me. …but he loved talking about Broncos, Skyraiders, Hueys, and Cobras.
Hopefully, you'll do a video on the OV-1 Mohawk as well. The OV-10 is a beautiful aircraft, and has one of my names for a plane, especially since it is also my favorite college sports team, the BSU Broncos. 😂
So glad this bird is getting some love. My late stepfather, Lt col Wayne Wood (RET) was a pilot for the OV-10 in Vietnam for one tour. I believe at the time he was either a captain or a major. His call sign was B.Eagle (he was bald. Lol) and Rustic 6 later on and he flew with the 20th TASS. Always had plenty of stories from him about his time there. A book was published after he passed away that apparently was able to talk about some declassified missions that were flown into Cambodia and Laos using the OV-10. And apparently he was one of the pilots selected to do these missions. I believe it was operation Rustic if I'm not mistaken. What we also didn't know, and didn't find out until after he passed away in 2019, that he had won the Distinguished Flying Cross during his service there with the OV-10. And he never mentioned it to anyone. But that's the way he was. Godspeed, Wayne. You're sorely missed.
As a military historian I've known of them since the 60s.Brovos, Birddogs and Sandys did an outstanding job in their time. These days, given the SAM envelope, they just aren't viable.
Love the Bronco. Just such a cool looking plane, and so capable and versatile. I loved going to the El Toro air show back in the 90's and watching the MAGTF demo. a pair of OV-10's would come in right on the deck, pull straight up, and at about 1,000 feet, 6 troopers would stream out the back while still in the vertical
It is interesting that at some point in your video you compare the Bronco to the F-16, since they once went head to head in a dogfight. A REAL dogfight. It happened during a Coup attempt in Venezuela which at the time had both airplanes in its inventory. Sadly, the Bronco didn’t fare well, although I believe that if the Bronco had been armed with the sude-shooting Gatling gun, the fight might hace been more even. PS: there’s video out there of this incident.
I actually have seen that footage but wasn’t thinking of it when I wrote the script for the video. I just thought that the 16’s wingspan is very short, shorter than a Cessna 172 by the way, so used it for comparison. And although I didn’t show it in the video, I did mention that the Bronco could mount AIM-9 sidewinders under the wings so that could have also made the fight interesting. Maybe it’s something I’ll try in DCS sometime. Cheers!
An amazing Aircraft that is extremely relevant , especially in today's low intensity conflicts... Imagine the bang for buck if 100 of these were deployed at an approximate cost 600K each ..😊👍🔥
In this video about the OV-10 Bronco, you have brought together the military service of two cousins from Southwest Ohio, one that served in the Navy VAL-4 Squadron Binh Thuy Vietnam as an aviation electrician and the other cousin who served as a OV-10 Marine pilot with a VMO squadron in Okinawa. The video brought back a memory of a day in-country that we had to do an “all hands” quick turn around of one the Black Pony aircraft loading the Zuni rockets on the wings and the rockets into pod located on the sponsor. Forever a Black Pony AE2 Robert Winkelman, Binh Thuy, Vietnam Light Attack Sqaudron VAL-4 ‘70-‘71
Thank you for sharing and that must have been a heck of a day! My father served US Army from 65 to 68 - from him and myself thank you for your service.
En Colombia se usó mucho contra las guerrillas de las FARC y el ElN su nombre código es Olga Viviana Díez.es el avión más avanzado que tuvo la fuerza aérea colombiana.❤❤❤❤❤❤
OV-10's and F-5's the US is quietly buying these back from our allies around the World. One hint, if the US Government is buying something back.... you might want to rethink selling.
Both air frames are excellent designs. Low maintenance. Less expensive. That makes them easier access on the used market and they don’t want them ending up in the wrong hands. The simplicity of both makes them ideal for rework for gifting to other friends.
Hello, greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴, retired Air Force pilot, this beautiful aircraft were flown in our conflict against various guerrillas. My father was a bronco pilot and I remember dreaming of flying it someday, sadly it was retired when I finished my flight school. It was loved in the Air Force and specially the guys on ground from the army. They even gave it an overhaul.
I’ve seen it a few times over my house for firefighting spotters here in California. Was so excited to see just overhead. I was aviation geeking out. :)
That plane is amazing!! As soon as I saw it I thought of the A-10 Thunderbolt/Warthog. The aircraft from the Vietnam War era are some of my favorites, like the little 2 person recon helicopters they had, the light and fast jets, the super sick seaplanes of the time and a bit before (like Korean War era), and various multi-role helo gunships and aircraft. Great video! Thank you!
That footage of the plane on the bumpy runway is awesome,it looks like a Trophy Truck through a whoop section,it gets on top of the bumps and smoothes out.very cool.
Non pilot/non aviator here, that Bronco looks brilliant but I’d love to re-design something similar but the cockpit would have both pilots up front thus side by side, which would allow a wider field of view. Additionally it would allow both crew a chance to get up and out to the rear if need be provided there’s enough space to egress. I’m thinking pure basic facilities such as a portable potty, a basic bunk or even a hammock slung to allow each crew member some extra time to “decompress” on long missions and a way to make something resembling hot food or at least space to heat MREs and make a hot drink, heck, put in a microwave in there. It’s not meant to be homely but I can imagine a variant that would be helpful for long mission profiles be it recon, intelligence gathering, observation, radar jamming as well as offensive missions. Keep it as a prop driven plane, but modifying it would expand its utility and capabilities. You could even have a 3rd crewman who could help be a medic if transferring sick or injured personnel.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was assigned to VMO-1 in 1976 through 1981. Such a versatile and valuable A/C. I wish I had one. Gunny USMC (Ret)
Great video!!! I absolutely remember these back in the early 90s with the Marines. I always thought they were just for observation and on occasion drop some Paratroopers. I never knew how badass they were actually. Thanks for the information. I will definitely add a Bronco model to my Marine Aviation collection. Semper Fi
I live in Northern California and see the OV-10s from Cal Fire fly over my house all the time! Love the look and sound of this plane. It's such a unique powerhouse!🔥
I remember these very well during the 70s when I worked at the fire department at Camp Pendleton. They were the original A-10 of that period; incredibly maneuverable and fun to watch. 😊
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On a day patrol off Hill 55 in early 1971, our squad of Marines got caught out in an open area of sand and were pinned down on the opposite side of the Arizona Territory at the Song Vu Gia river by an NVA ambush. The arty on hill 55 almost hit us with Willie Peter. I called for air support and got an OV-10 out of Da Nang with the callsign "HOSTAGE FANG." After he understood what side of the river we were on, he said, "Put your heads down, gents. This stuff bounces." He then proceeded to blast that side of the river and after that we were able to walk away without another hostile shot being fired at us. Brother, if you are out there and see this, many thanks. I will never forget. L/Cpl. P. D. "Gov" Regan, Mco 3/1 1st MARDIV. 👍
Demoed Fi!
Edit: Semper Fi! I hate spellcheck.
Good story!
@dogfightdiary5712 One of my relatives call sign was Hostage Six. VMO-2
Hey sir, glad you & your marines made it out... and thanks for your service devil dog. Just wondering, on a semi-random other side not... wasn't Hill 55 also largely the hill where Carlos Hathcock operated out of during much of his time in-country??
@@painmt651
What side were on of the perfume river?
I had the privilege of serving with VAL-4, the Black Ponies, in 1971-'72. The OV-10 still has a place in my affection. It was the most willing little aircraft.
My thanks to you for your service, and the highest praise I can ever receive is from individuals such as yourself who were there and served with these incredible machines.
I salute you, sir. Semper Fi! 👍
From the son of a HAL-3 Seawolf - thanks for your service. My pop was there at Binh Thuy at roughly the same time.
@@dogfightdiary5712 don’t you get tired of saluting the military industrial complex?
Thanks for your service Sir. Greetings from Mexico City.
The Bronco is not forgotten... Only improperly utilized. Semper Fi 🇺🇸
Saw one do a zippy run in Vietnam!!! Never forget it !!! Loved it .
Sure seems like they would have been perfect in A-Stan.
@@CorePathway Maybe not since the Afghans had Manpads which the Cong didn't.
@@johnarnold893 well, it’s a drone world now
we still use this
My brother Leon served two tours in Vietnam in the back seat of an 0V10. Unfortunately, he and his pilot were killed in South Korea, in 1979, while on deployment. Thank you for for remembering. Rest in peace Lt. Leon Gingras.
Rest in peace Lt. Leon Gingras and thank you for sharing
I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. May he rest in peace. God bless all of the veterans.
RIP to your Warrior brother.
@@kennethbrooks4425 Thank you on behalf of my brother and my family.
I worked for your Brother Leon (Lee) in Maintenance Control and on the Flight Line as a Plane Captain 74-75 in VMO-2 at Camp Pendleton before leaving for OCS and eventually becoming a Naval Aviator, for which Lee was instrumental in helping me get accepted to the Enlisted Commissioning Program (Aviation). He was a mentor to me. Was in A-6 training with another former VMO-2 Pilot who knew Lee very well, Don Bruey, when we received word of his accident, and boy was that a shock. He was a CWO when I worked for him. A shock as well to see your post here! RIP Leon Gingras.
My dad was one of those Marines who use to parachute out the back of them. He said the pilot would just pull the nose up and they would all slide right out 😂
@@austism1 OV10 pop up. I parachuted from them several times. Scariest and most exhilarating jumps I ever did. 😲
@jamesb.2064 so it is true lol 😆 thanks for sharing 👍
Saw that demonstrated at el toro.
2nd Recon '93 ... Yes, it was a useful beast
So in essence they were pooped out...😁😂
I was a US Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-1969 and the OV-19 occasionally supported us by controlling airstrikes on enemy positions that were difficult for us to observe from our ground positions. Loved when an OV-10 was overhead.
Thank you for your service, Marine! My father was US Army 66-68, you were there during the thick of it. I am glad the OV-10 helped you and your fellow Marines on the ground and your comment - from someone who was there - is the very best kind of feedback I can get.
Thank you for your service, Marine! My father was US Army 66-68, you were there during the thick of it. I am glad the OV-10 helped you and your fellow Marines on the ground and your comment - from someone who was there - is the very best kind of feedback I can get.
WELCOME HOME.
SGT DOUG, RECON, 101ST, RVN 68-69 LZ SALLY
My dad was Force Recon from '59-'70. He died in '87 when I was still a kid so I never got to talk to him about it. We learned he was Force Recon and about some of the things he did from guys who found us after he had died. When he died, he was a civilian employee working at a sporting goods rental shop on an Air Force base in Wyoming. …but over 1500 people from around the world came to his funeral.
much thanks for making this video! my dad flew OV-10s for the Philippine Air Force before he honorably left the service to fly as a civilian, and I was able to watch them fly in and out of our home air base almost on a daily basis, and even get to enjoy seeing annual live fire demos 🤩🤩
the particular plane that bore his name when it first arrived in the PAF fleet (ex USAF 67-14636) is still flying to this day, and has been wired to employ GBU-49 laser JDAMs...
one of the planes in the PAF fleet that he also flew, ex USAF 67-14639, was actually one of the planes that exchange pilots from the RAAF flew during the Vietnam War, and was one of the air assets employed during the infamous BAT21 CSAR mission...
after 639 was prematurely retired due to extensive airframe corrosion, the PAF donated the airplane to the Australian War Memorial museum in Canberra, where it was fully restored for display, painted back into the original USAF scheme it wore during the conflict...
@@hanschristianben505 thank you for sharing.
I remember this plane very well. My father worked at North American Aviation in Columbus Ohio and was a wing fabricator for the OV-10 and many many other aircrafts. During the Vietnam War, I was in junior high in 1965 when my father first started mentioning him working on this plane. By the time I reached high school in 1968 as a 15 year old, with cousins, uncle and a brother all fighting in "Nam", I had a lot of interests in the machinery and equipment used to fight that war. I felt proud my Dad was helping to contribute to that effort. I joined the Air Force in 1972 and my father continued his efforts in building aircrafts that helped fight that war.
My father and uncle worked there also. Remember seeing them being built in the high bay area during open house at the plant.
Did your dad happen to know a man named John Hayes? He was my grandfather and worked there as well.
I had 2 uncles retired from there during that time. I worked there in the 80's on b1 Lancer. Machinest
@@daveclickenger6748 They more than likely knew my dad. He worked in the tool grinding area. He sharpened the tools or made them for the machines.
I worked at NAA in Columbus in the early 80’s as a design engineer… I actually worked on the OV-10 Life Extension Program. Great little airplane… lots of memories.
Great video, but the comments from vets sharing their personal experiences is pure gold.
Thank you and to me that’s the best indicator that I did an airplane justice in my videos, I am honored by them sharing their experiences here. Thanks for commenting!
I'd love to own one of these for their simplicity. They are truly beautiful.
Gotta be fun to fly as well.
Saw one for sale at Oshkosh 2 years ago.... If I had the kind of "FU money", I would absolutely love one.
Two buds , traveling in real twin performance ! Wouldn’t that be cool ? Personal urine bottle is necessary -
Now , if I can get my AV - Nut brother in-law to fork over his half !
I would think of-10 had AM receiver also - Very handy to catch the game ! 😊
They did more than just mark an area with those w/p rockets !
So.. am I the only one that thinks that utilitarian vehicles are aesthetically pleasant ?
No!
🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇸
Not at all, I think the OV-10 is a beautiful airplane and very much enjoyed making this video - thanks for commenting!
Nope. My favorite plane for most of my life was the DC-3/C47.
Nope
A-10, OV-10, A-29 are all beautiful aircraft.
I saw other comments about how Recon Marines were parachuted by the OV-10. So here is a funny story.
In the last quarter of my dads 20 years in the Corps he transferred to motor transport. He figured it would help develop some skills for the civilian world when he retired. One of his first assignments was with Recon. One Recon Marine told him of his first time "jumping" from a Bronco. When deploying from this bird the pilot would pull straight up and the Marines would just fall out the back. I guess no one told this Marine of the procedure. He was first in the plane so last one out. The pilot opened the back and went vertical. The maneuver startled him so bad he went spread eagle and locked himself before he could fall out. Before he could come to grips with the situation the pilot had leveled out and closed the back. When they got back to base they heard the banging when they shut the plane off and found a very confused Marine still in the back.
@@trentonarney6066 That’s hilarious! I worked on these beautiful birds in the 1980’s. The vertical recon dump was and remains an awesome experience for those birds still flying. No faster way to insert a team.
I promise you, no one has forgotten about the bronco!!!!
I don't know how it could be forgotten... I can't go a week without seeing OV-10 Bronco videos in my TH-cam suggestions and posts in by Facebook feed.
Im glad they are bringing back the videos on the OV-10! They need to bring it back!! and live by the words if its not broke then dont fix it !@@brianb-p6586
I haven't. Then again, I never even knew about it till now...
As shown by another reply, it is simply unknown by some people and you can't forget what you never knew. A lot of people. I get why. As awesome as it looks to anyone who knows what it is for, it really isn't anywhere near as sexy as an A-10 or AH-64 or really any other attack style platform. Not when a person is making some video that just needs something catchy (youtube, tv, streaming, doesn't matter, anything even just some random website).
Especially once you get things that are so ludicrously iconic as brrrrrrrrrrrt.
Semper Fi. I saw Ov-10's flying in the 80's. It was always fun watching how maneuverable they were.
I have 3000 hrs on this bird and I love it! So versatile and at the same time very forgiving. You forgot to mention it has counter rotatating prop hence no tourqe and can still climb with a single engine. We also used this for cloud seeding operations. I miss this bird and can proudly say I am a bronco jock!
Was there any special procedure in the event of a bailout in order to avoid that vicious looking tail wing/stabilizer thingy?
No but we have a Zero zero ejection seat meaning you can eject at zero airspeed and zero altitude.
@@blockchainreaction762 Hey, thanks for responding. An ejection seat makes sense for the design of the aircraft. I can imagine if it's in a steep descent and picking up speed when the driver needs to bail, it would be perilous without an ejection seat.
I thoroughly enjoyed the history of this amazingly versatile aircraft that I had never heard of before today! Thank you for your presentation!
I have seen the Cal Fire (California's Wild Fire Service) OV-10s acting as aerial spotters and guide planes for the larger water tanker planes which drop water and retardant on wildfires here! Love the OV-10... great second life in the fire-fighting role!
My wife and I were driving through Hemet, Ca. the other day when we saw a CalFire OV-10 Bronco taking off from Hemet airport. She asked me what kind of plane it was and I said “That’s an OV-10 Bronco, one of the best planes the Corps used during Vietnam”. I was a L/CPL aboard Camp Hansen Okinawa from 3/75 to 4/76 and had OV-10s flying over our training all the time. We even had a couple land on the USS New Orleans (LPH-11) when we were at sea. They were some cowboys for sure. I saw those boys push that plane around like nothin. Uhrahhhh! Semper Fi!
Hearing one circling the area around my home with, S-2ATs nearby, is an attention getter in the summer. But sure glad the CAL FIRE air attack bse base is only 5 miles away
When CalFire switched from the O-2 Skymaster to the Bronco, our Air Attack Officers’ biggest complaint was that they would arrive over the fire scene before they had time to get their maps out.
@schmittbox7616 My uncle had a civilian skymaster. Haven't seen anybody talk about it besides an O-2 being at the Dayton Air Force Museum in one of the hanging displays. Always gives me joy seeing someone mention it so they're not completely forgotten
Retired Cal Fire aerial supervisor here. The Bronco is the best platform I ever was able to work in. The O2 was the workhorse before we put the OV-10 in service. The tandem seating allowed us to maneuver in both directions as needed where you can't in side by side seating. Totally awesome airplanes. Besides it looks like the Batman alarm in the sky!
I just happen to be one of the Navy Aviation Ordnance men (AO) who worked on the OV -10 (I was assigned to VS-41) when the first 2 Broncos were delivered (air frame numbers 155470 and 155472) to the Navy. I don't think that there is an AO who worked on Bronco's that did not enjoy the experience.
VAL- 4 went on to be the best known OV-10 squadron, I am proud to have been a small part in their history.
The Navy still has an OV-10. 155472 now lives at the Navy Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida. I don't know if this is still true, but 155470 was at one time used for mosquito suppression in, I believe, the coastal area of South Carolina, as it was, minus the M-60's.
Very nice video, ;-)
Spent some time in VS-41 FRAMP on my way to Vietnam. You folks did a great job. It was fun for me because I finally was able to work on a Stoof.
When were you there? I was at VS-41 1/1967 thou 9/1969
But them Skeeters down there are pretty big, might want them guns back :)
@@longrider42 very funny
I can confirm that the OV-10 is currently used in South Carolina. A bit unnerving the first time it came over at what seemed like a very low altitude- the county (Beaufort) lets people know when it will be operating.
The OV-10 to me is one of the most interesting aircraft designs ever.
Like they said 'the Swiss Knife of the air'.
why the hell dont we use these nowadays? we need something cheap and reliable and with modern warfare drones can protect these while they do their activities
We have three Broncos at the museum where I work (including one of the original factory mock-ups), one of which is painted in memory of Captain Steven Bennett, the only Bronco pilot to be a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Thanks for commenting, what museum? I'd love to visit and see a real-life OV-10
Fort Worth Aviation Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
we still use there here in my country.. guess the place...... one of the problems we have now is electrical issues due to age. but someone needs to remake the bronco
My father was a Mustang & served 26 yrs in the Corps (Enlisted at 17 & was a B.A.R. Gunner in Korea & Retired a Maj after two tours in Vietnam w/ 4th Bat/12th Mar/3rd Mar Div '66-'67 & 4th Bat/11th Mar/1st Mar Div '70-71') and I loved and remember in the late 60's & early 70's him taking us often to watch the Bronco's operating at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Orange County, CA. As we lived at US Navy/USMC Pacific Heights Housing Annex, San Pedro, CA., which now is USAF Housing Annex, Pacific Heights.
Thanks to him for his service - I hope this video brought back some fond memories for you. If I ever start another channel the B.A.R. and John Browning would definitely be a topic I'd explore in a video. Greetings from Texas!
When we closed down El Toro in the late 90s one of the last things we did was move the museum down with us to Miramar in San Diego and I specifically remember helping move the Bronco they had there to it's new spot. I always wondered who flew it and if they ever game to look at it. I was just a Heavy Equipment operator, but it was a neat experience.
When I was a Camp Pendleton in the early 1990s, it was so cool to see an OV-10 pull up into a climb and see a bunch of Recon Bubba's parachute out the back. Very cool aircraft.
Haha awesome! I was in BCo. 1/1 outta Camp Horno 90-96. As I was watching this video I was thinking Jesus I think I remember seeing a couple of these things dropping a couple guys out the back… No maybe I’m making that up?? Then I saw your comment.Semper Fi.
I worked at US Forces Japan from 1980-1983. In 1982, a flight of two OV-10s was flying in formation from Osan Air Base, Korea to Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan, to participate in the annual Yokota Air Show. As the approached the coast of Jaoan, they ran into thick clouds and the wingman l9st sight of the lead plane. Rather than pull away to ensure separation, the wing pilot got obsessed with switching to instrument flight, allowing his plane to drift too close to the lead plane, his left propeller cutting the right tail.boom of the lead plane. The lead plane came apart, pitching nose down. The pilot hit the ejection seats, but in that odd attitude the parachute for the passenger (a TSgt maintenance crew member being rewarded for outstanding performance) got wrapped around the ejection rocket of his seat and.burned up. It took about 5 minutes for him to fall to earth. The wing plane's engine came apart and the crew ejected. I served as legal advisor to the aircraft accident investigation board comvened by the brigadier general commanding USFJ/ 5th Air Force.
i adore the OV-10, one of my favorite planes of the Vietnam war era
@@Yuki_Ika7 It was my favorite too. As a kid I would build models of it and have longed to own and fly the OV-10 ever since
Bill Beckett was my older Cousin. Whenever I was around him, I was always asking him about stories concerning his history of flying and building planes. He was also a member of the Black Sheep Squadron in WWII
Growing up in Indonesia, I love the OV-10 Bronco. It was one of the first aircrafts I learnt about. Thank you for making this video.
Thank you, very happy that you enjoyed my video.
Yup. One of the first military aircraft alongside Hercules that i ever saw directly in my childhood. As my home was next door from the Indonesian Air Force barack in Lombok, spend kindergarten on theirs, and near the airport at that time. We got a chance to see them in person and some kid were lucky enough to get in and be photographed with them.
I worked on and supervised the maintenance of the OV-10A for 6 years in the U.S.A.F after I transferred from C-130's. Love that plane! easy to work on and always enjoyed wathing the take off and landings. Msgt. USAF retired
As a military aircraft, I'm afraid that the Bronco's day is done. The Philippines are phasing them out, replacing them with Super Tocanos. They are maxed out in weight, decreasing performance. And there is the unfortunate fact that no aircrew has ever survived ditching one.
They're also 65 years old.
I would have to disagree, if you modernize a Bronco to today standards, it would be a better performing and economical option over the Tucano in my opinion. Just look at the AH-1, UH-1, and CH-47s, all have been and still are being upgraded and are far superior than when they first came out!
@@txvet7738the problem is, North American is no longer existing unlike Bell and Boeing to make a new version of OV-10 Bronco.
COIN aircrafts were dominated by Embraer's Super Tucano.
North American is part of Boeing now.
@@txvet7738, that depends on who, if anyone, is willing to do it. The Philippine Air Force wasn't. The last ejector seat modification added 1,600 pounds to the airframe, maxing it out. Too much time and effort, to modify, when they could simply buy brand new, and at a sweet price, at that. And that last niggling little "fun fact", was the final straw, that truly hung the millstone around the Bronco's neck, here. And keep in mind that two civil wars are happening here, one against ISIS, the other against Communists. The PAF has no time to wait around.
Considering I fly on the OV-10A in the course of my duties, I can confidentiality say that it is an aircraft still very much in use. Funky plane with some unique characteristics, but perfect for the ATGS role. You can expect them to keep flying for at least another 20 years; we did just aquire 5 additional D model airframes this year.
I had the honor of serving as an OV-10 Life Support Systems Technician (Ejection Seat Mech) with VMO-1 from 1990-1992. To get to Operation Desert Storm, we deployed with the USS Roosevelt and America Battle Groups. Flying off the carriers 100 miles from the coast of Spain, we stopped at several Mediterranean countries until finally arriving at King Abdul Aziz Air Base just south of the Port of Jubail. I am proud to state that we never missed a sortie during Operation Desert Storm, maintaining 100% mission capability throughout the conflict.
We suffered a great loss on 2/25/91 when Major Small and Captain Spellacy were shot down over Kuwait. Major Small became a POW who was later released, but Captain Spellacy was killed. I am happy to see this video as it shows these fine Marine Officers and their aircraft haven’t been forgotten. It also makes me thankful that I and my fellow Marines who kept these aircraft operational can share the love of our awesome weapons delivery platform, the OV-10! Thank you!
Great piece. Love the ridiculous versatility of the Bronco. Grew up seeing it at a base near my home. Bien Hoa = “Be-in wha” in the north and “Bean wha” in the south.
I always remember hearing "Ben- wah".
🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇸
@@GeorgeRuffner-iy7bm Agreed. I think that’s the pronunciation our American troops adopted.
I remember this from my PJ RESCUE OF DAYS IN VIETNAM. It was a small but very durable ACFT.. TOOK A LOT OF BALLS TO FLY ONE IN MY OPINION.
Thank you for your comment and for your service, PJ rescue takes a lot of intestinal fortitude as well - cheers!
Those pilots were said to be the best of the best. Only a few hundred such craft.
I was a Marine rigger for OV-10’s serving with VMO-6 out of MCAS Futema OK in 74-75. This was a great plane and I was fortunate to fly many test hops on it. It was a joy to fly and a few of my fellow pilots allowed me to have a hand at flying them. Very cool lil bird indeed.
We must have served together. I was in VMO 6 from Dec ‘74 to Jan 76. Was
Leonard your NCOIC. I still have the infamous VMO 6 Christmas Cards from 74 and 75.
Edit: that may have been Bill Leopold. It was a long time ago.
COIN is the least of our worries since we've found out that the age of full-scale war is back. That being said, the Bronco was an awesome piece of kit 😁
I don't know. It wouldn't take much to have shaped radio jammers on it, just crashing UAVs out of the sky.
There's better platforms for that, but if push came to shove, the Bronco might ride again in some role.
great as a coin we still use it till today for coin. even though its really a swissarmy knife of light planes/
There are always battlefields that don't require advanced weapons.
@@mrico523 considering Ukraine is using prop trainers with a door gunner to intercept drones in the air, I could see COIN craft to be another anti-drone layer behind the front lines in a full-scale shooting war.
I built the Revell 1/72 scale Bronco when I was a kid. Learned of its service at a young age. Loved the design.👍
While stationed at Ubon Thailand in 1971 I decided to spend my day off at NKP, just to check out the arrivals and departures. Besides the always impressive Caribou, one hotshot OV-10 pilot did a fast downwind, then with wings almost vertical turned base and final over the end of the runway, hit the deck and stopped on a dime. It was the best carrier landing I've ever seen.
Never worked on or flew an OV-10, but as a flight sim enthusiast, the OV-10 has always been one of my favorite aircraft. Its striking appearance first attracted me, but the performance of the craft in simulation kept me coming back for more.
Incredible, thank you for bringing this very well done informative piece of flying history. I wasn’t aware of the OV-10. I truly enjoyed watching, I could have taken in a whole lot more info.
Again thank you us, the ones that didn’t know about this amazing aircraft.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I am glad you learned about a new airframe - aviation is fascinating and I will work on finding more unusual aircraft to make videos of. Cheers!
I served as a Marine Corps parachute rigger 7113, at camp Pendleton with 1st VMO-5 then HML-267. 1967-68. We were the the 1st to receive the Broncos, we were a training squadron. We received training on how to pack the chutes in the new container (pack) with explosive cutters & actuators, I was the paraloft NCOIC. I was in VN in 66 and my tour was coming to an end. Semper Fi Great Plane!
I saw this aircraft flying a lot as a child in Hawai'i. My uncle who was still fighting in Vietnam told me about this wonderful aircraft. 💖
I grew up at Camp Pendleton. I lived seeing these flying all over.
Used to see these occasionally over our house in SoCal in the mid and late 1980s. Always low enough to see the pilots wave.
I was VMO-2 Marine. Seat shop. It's a great bird.
@@gulfmarine8857 my dad was the Flight Surgeon for VMO-2 back in the day.
The Nevada Division of Forestry used it as well. There was a privately owned one based at Carson City Airport i used to see flying around from time to time.
There are a few with the NIFC (National Interagency Fire Center) in Boise, ID. In my opinion, this is the best non military use for the Bronco.
I've seen quite a few OV-10's flying over "hot spots" in California sporting CDF paint jobs.
Ok. Was a great airplane in its day... So, take a look at the OV 1 MOHAWK.
They need to bring them back. Great video. Thanks for sharing, and have a wonderful day
Thank you too and agreed!
I was at Camp Pendelton in 1991 and saw it use with Marine recon. It would go vertical slightly and dump out parachutists. Very cool.
I was Parachute rigger in the Marine Corps from 85 to 89 and parachuted out of a Bronco while with a Marine Force Reconnaissance unit in the late 80’s then had them overhead fighting wildfires in California as private contractor when I finally retired in 2022.
Back in the 90s, DynCorp was granted a contract to spray the coca fields of Colombia (and possibly other ops) to deny the FARC of their revenue sources. DynCorp decided surplus OV-10s were the platform of choice. They also determined Daytona to be the ideal midpoint for refueling and staging. It was two years of Daytona becoming a defacto base for OV-10 operations. They have a distinct sound of high RPM props with 60s jet screech.
Coincidentally, this was also around the period when Daytona was also a primary base for post-Hurricane Andrew relief efforts. Those efforts saw massive use of CH-47 Chinooks flying in and out in long streams of 12 or more. It was a great time to be an aviation freak.
I always wanted a Bronco. I think it'd make a blast of a civil aircraft.
Thanks, I was in a USMC OV-10 squadron and worked on the AC. I still have happy memories of te aircraft.
My dad was an U.S.M.C. avionics tech around 1970 or so. He worked on the OV-10, AH-1 Cobra and KC-130. He has many fond memories of those aircraft.
I was on holiday in England this summer. I was at the Weald of Kent Steam show with my classic caravan. Now this show is in somebody’s backyard, actually it’s a farm, where he has an airstrip. Several planes came and went. This man collects planes and has friends that come visit with their planes. I saw a Pitt’s special and even the red baron’s Fokker Triplane among others. A few times a Spitfire flew over the place. At some point one of these Broncos came in. I didn’t know what it was. It had German markings. And landed on a dime. Thanks for informing me about this remarkable plane. Learnt something today.
The air base, Bien Hoa (bee-en, wah, short “a”) was a major air base in III Corps, near Saigon. It’s where I landed and left Vietnam back in 69-70. Most troops for the south landed there to be shuttled off to Long Binh (long, bin), 90th Replacement for assignments. After assignment, you’re shuttled back to Bien Hoa to fly out to wherever your new unit is based. Mine was Phuoc Vinh (fook, vin), 31st Combat Engineers. They were assigned to support the 1st Cav. Good video.
I watched OV-10's chasing each other over Eglin AFB, FL, in 1973. I love that plane on first sight.
In 1977 I was posted to Camp Schwab, Okinawa when I was buzzed by an OV 10 on the coast road, just for fun. I have seen an OV-10 land in less than 100 ft on an expeditionary airfield.
I am Scottish and lived in the Philippines for 10 years and used to see the Bronco at a number of local airports, mainly in the South. They were used extensivley for COIN ops against the Islamic Terrorists in the region. One of my Fav aircraft.
It has been used in airstrikes during the Marawi conflict.
Again I learned more Juan. Thanks for another great post. My father worked with Bronco's as FAC and following some mission, would fly post mission assessments with his buddy, an OV-10 driver. Pop loved the Bronco. Bronco, kinda the forefather of the of Warthog, but Bronco didn't take as high dose of steroids, took the seventies to up the dosage. LOL p.s. I work with a fellow that few OV-10s and OA-10s as FAQ n the desert wars.
Thank you Scott, and I didn't realize your father had time in the OV-10...very cool. I'm going to make an AC-47 video soon
It's always good to see such a versatile and still capable aircraft, conceived decades ago. Still being of practical use today.
we use the OV-10's here in the Philippines as a bomber for COIN ops in Mindanao and other parts of the country with rebel insurgents. I never thought those where such a beauty and also a beast of an aircraft!
Love the Bronco…lived at Camp Pendelton in the early 80’s and there was a squadron of them….always flying over base housing. Awesome little plane.
« A LONELY KIND OF WAR » written by Marshall harrison.
If you want stories about the OV10 Bronco, it’s one of the best read about vietnam and about aviation I have ever had.
Very nice video, the 3d views are very interseting. The models looks nice too.
Great channel. Thank you.
Add "Flying Black Ponies" by Kit Lavell and "Da Nang Diary" by Tom Yarborough to the list. Agreed, Great video. Well done. This from a person that loves the OV-10, truly my favorite airplane. Although, the closest to flying it has been with a simulator that rhymes with "explain." 😂 Saw plenty of them at work, though: USMC 1980-1990.
@@deebee2854 I’ll look for it, thank you very much.
I just finished that book. A truly great read.
Growing up just a few streets over from our little Mansfield Municipal Airport sparked in me a love of aviation that I’ve had my entire life. Seeing old military planes there always reminded me of my great uncle, Army Ranger Howard Galipeau’s mysterious end aboard the now infamous 1962 Flying Tiger Line Flight 739… This tragedy has affected not only my family but all the families of the over one hundred servicemen that were killed with him that day. The fact that the events of that fateful day have willfully remained shrouded in secrecy for over 60 years have caused those wounds to never fully heal. My family had proudly served this great nation for generations up until then but no longer. A government that refuses to bring much needed peace & closure to these families that have sacrificed so much deserves not another life lost from those families in service to it. I think my great uncle Howard & his Bothers in Arms would have loved this plane had they lived to see it and I know they would have proudly fought knowing that the OV-10 would have had their back. Thank you for sharing this incredible aircraft with us and thank you to all the servicemen & their families that gave their lives in service to our great nation, may we be deserving of their sacrifice. Remember the U.S.S. Liberty. America First, Christ is King.
The military should restart production on the OV-10. They could build 14 to 16 Broncos compared to the cost of 1 F-35.
It’s a breath of fresh air to see some channels still voice their own videos.
Being assigned to VMO-4 from 1977-1980 , thanks.
My father was stationed with the 19th TASS Bein Hoe Vietnam 68-69. His primary aircraft was the O-2 but immediately fell in love with the OV-10.
I assure you, Victor Charles will never forget the Bronco.
EXCELLENT presentation. One of the unique and memorable military assets of my childhood. A mini beast.
Thank you!
Wow that German Bronco sure did look like something out of world war 2
My dad was Force Recon from '59-'70 with combat tours in Vietnam in '65, '66, '68, and '69. He absolutely loved the Broncos and the Skyraiders. His words "There's something comforting about planes with propellers covering you, you just know damn well they weren't gonna miss." He didn't talk a lot about the war, and I didn't even know he was Force Recon until after he died in '87 and his old war buddies tracked us down. That's when we learned about Studies & Observations. All he ever used to say was he was "Advanced Infantry, it wasn't anything special." but he had so many snippets he would tell me when he would play with my GI Joes with me. …but he loved talking about Broncos, Skyraiders, Hueys, and Cobras.
Hopefully, you'll do a video on the OV-1 Mohawk as well. The OV-10 is a beautiful aircraft, and has one of my names for a plane, especially since it is also my favorite college sports team, the BSU Broncos. 😂
Now that is a plane an Army could want.
If the P38 Lightening and the AH1 Cobra had a kid
So glad this bird is getting some love. My late stepfather, Lt col Wayne Wood (RET) was a pilot for the OV-10 in Vietnam for one tour. I believe at the time he was either a captain or a major. His call sign was B.Eagle (he was bald. Lol) and Rustic 6 later on and he flew with the 20th TASS. Always had plenty of stories from him about his time there. A book was published after he passed away that apparently was able to talk about some declassified missions that were flown into Cambodia and Laos using the OV-10. And apparently he was one of the pilots selected to do these missions. I believe it was operation Rustic if I'm not mistaken. What we also didn't know, and didn't find out until after he passed away in 2019, that he had won the Distinguished Flying Cross during his service there with the OV-10. And he never mentioned it to anyone. But that's the way he was. Godspeed, Wayne. You're sorely missed.
Forgotten? We still use em!
As a military historian I've known of them since the 60s.Brovos, Birddogs and Sandys did an outstanding job in their time. These days, given the SAM envelope, they just aren't viable.
@@jamesjrossI’m sure Mexico could utilize them well against cartels , they already use minion mounts in helicopters
Minigun
Interesting video! My grandfather flew the Bronco from April- June 29, 1972 with the 20th TASS. I love this plane.
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Great video as usual.
Daft question, how much input do pilots have when new planes are being designed?
@@aking-plums6985 thank you and my guess is that pilots get involved at some point in the process. Especially test pilots.
Bien Hoa pronounced Ben Wah
Love the Bronco. Just such a cool looking plane, and so capable and versatile. I loved going to the El Toro air show back in the 90's and watching the MAGTF demo. a pair of OV-10's would come in right on the deck, pull straight up, and at about 1,000 feet, 6 troopers would stream out the back while still in the vertical
I tnink a highly modernized new-build version with a stronger composite structure and new engines could be a very effective counter-insurgency plane.
MANPADS would still be a deadly threat.
I was going to bring up MANPADS but you have it covered. Thanks.
🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇸
I would have loved to get my hands on one of these when I was still flying! Thanks a lot I really enjoyed that on memorial Day!
It is interesting that at some point in your video you compare the Bronco to the F-16, since they once went head to head in a dogfight. A REAL dogfight. It happened during a Coup attempt in Venezuela which at the time had both airplanes in its inventory. Sadly, the Bronco didn’t fare well, although I believe that if the Bronco had been armed with the sude-shooting Gatling gun, the fight might hace been more even.
PS: there’s video out there of this incident.
I actually have seen that footage but wasn’t thinking of it when I wrote the script for the video. I just thought that the 16’s wingspan is very short, shorter than a Cessna 172 by the way, so used it for comparison. And although I didn’t show it in the video, I did mention that the Bronco could mount AIM-9 sidewinders under the wings so that could have also made the fight interesting. Maybe it’s something I’ll try in DCS sometime. Cheers!
Let us know how things develop in DCS. Cheers!
always lived the bronco SEMPER FI 🫡
EXCELLENT VIDEO, THANKS. Definitely the OV-10 is a great aerial platform as you said it : "Swiss pocket knife".
An amazing Aircraft that is extremely relevant , especially in today's low intensity conflicts...
Imagine the bang for buck if 100 of these were deployed at an approximate cost 600K each ..😊👍🔥
In this video about the OV-10 Bronco, you have brought together the military service of two cousins from Southwest Ohio, one that served in the Navy VAL-4 Squadron Binh Thuy Vietnam as an aviation electrician and the other cousin who served as a OV-10 Marine pilot with a VMO squadron in Okinawa. The video brought back a memory of a day in-country that we had to do an “all hands” quick turn around of one the Black Pony aircraft loading the Zuni rockets on the wings and the rockets into pod located on the sponsor. Forever a Black Pony AE2 Robert Winkelman, Binh Thuy, Vietnam Light Attack Sqaudron VAL-4 ‘70-‘71
Thank you for sharing and that must have been a heck of a day! My father served US Army from 65 to 68 - from him and myself thank you for your service.
En Colombia se usó mucho contra las guerrillas de las FARC y el ElN su nombre código es Olga Viviana Díez.es el avión más avanzado que tuvo la fuerza aérea colombiana.❤❤❤❤❤❤
THANKS!
I'd never heard about this!
Cool concept!
OV-10's and F-5's the US is quietly buying these back from our allies around the World. One hint, if the US Government is buying something back.... you might want to rethink selling.
Both air frames are excellent designs. Low maintenance. Less expensive.
That makes them easier access on the used market and they don’t want them ending up in the wrong hands.
The simplicity of both makes them ideal for rework for gifting to other friends.
Hello, greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴, retired Air Force pilot, this beautiful aircraft were flown in our conflict against various guerrillas. My father was a bronco pilot and I remember dreaming of flying it someday, sadly it was retired when I finished my flight school. It was loved in the Air Force and specially the guys on ground from the army. They even gave it an overhaul.
Two Marines, in a desert, thinking about aircraft. 🤣🤣🤣
... should have been about crayons ... ;-)
I’ve seen it a few times over my house for firefighting spotters here in California. Was so excited to see just overhead. I was aviation geeking out. :)
Talk further away from the mic and turn down the gain please
@@TerryWhisk lol what’s wrong with eating the mic? It’s like he’s whispering in my ear
That plane is amazing!! As soon as I saw it I thought of the A-10 Thunderbolt/Warthog. The aircraft from the Vietnam War era are some of my favorites, like the little 2 person recon helicopters they had, the light and fast jets, the super sick seaplanes of the time and a bit before (like Korean War era), and various multi-role helo gunships and aircraft. Great video! Thank you!
That footage of the plane on the bumpy runway is awesome,it looks like a Trophy Truck through a whoop section,it gets on top of the bumps and smoothes out.very cool.
Non pilot/non aviator here, that Bronco looks brilliant but I’d love to re-design something similar but the cockpit would have both pilots up front thus side by side, which would allow a wider field of view. Additionally it would allow both crew a chance to get up and out to the rear if need be provided there’s enough space to egress. I’m thinking pure basic facilities such as a portable potty, a basic bunk or even a hammock slung to allow each crew member some extra time to “decompress” on long missions and a way to make something resembling hot food or at least space to heat MREs and make a hot drink, heck, put in a microwave in there. It’s not meant to be homely but I can imagine a variant that would be helpful for long mission profiles be it recon, intelligence gathering, observation, radar jamming as well as offensive missions. Keep it as a prop driven plane, but modifying it would expand its utility and capabilities. You could even have a 3rd crewman who could help be a medic if transferring sick or injured personnel.
Having a person in the cockpit is ALWAYS a good thing!
I got to see them, once, in the early 90's. I was awestruck when I saw them.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was assigned to VMO-1 in 1976 through 1981. Such a versatile and valuable A/C. I wish I had one. Gunny USMC (Ret)
Great video!!! I absolutely remember these back in the early 90s with the Marines. I always thought they were just for observation and on occasion drop some Paratroopers. I never knew how badass they were actually. Thanks for the information. I will definitely add a Bronco model to my Marine Aviation collection. Semper Fi
Although it loosing relevancy, it been one of my favorite aircraft in history. A beautiful bird. It sets up there with the A10 and so many more.
Awesome plane, the video does well to document its development and use. Thanks!
I live in Northern California and see the OV-10s from Cal Fire fly over my house all the time! Love the look and sound of this plane. It's such a unique powerhouse!🔥
I remember these very well during the 70s when I worked at the fire department at Camp Pendleton. They were the original A-10 of that period; incredibly maneuverable and fun to watch. 😊
I was always fascinated by the Bronco. Small, agile, armed, it just sounds like a down and dirty wild ride!