Originally Posted by t01ga

This is a first twin prop and 4s aircraft for me so I will be investing in some lipos.

Not sure if you can order from the EU warehouse but Hobbyking has some great deals on at the moment... I think I heard the UK warehouse was having issues or something...

Hey Guys!

I wanted to write a bit about my experience with the OV-10 thus far. In total I have 10 flights on her before field shut down yada yada, so I was only just starting to get in my groove and can't wait to get out with it more.

I see that a big discussion here is the batteries and power. I am not sure why people think it is under-powered on the current setup, I didn't feel that at all in my flights, but also, I wasn't expecting nor looking for this OV-10 to be a speed demon.

What excited me the most about this bird is the fun STOL characteristics and the giant rudders that allow you to manuever well in even small spaces. It's kind of why I said it reminds me of a prop version of A-10 in that regard. This aircraft is perfect for windy days as so much fun will be had taking off and landing in 5 feet by pilots much better than I.

As for the batteries. I only flew on 2 Admiral 4000's, never had a chance to try other sizes, but the battery bay is gigantic for a foamie. Way bigger than the Tigercat and P-38 from FlightLine so there is no doubt in my mind you could fit a number of different sizes from 2200mAh up to 5000mAh.

As you can see when I flew it, I set my timer for 7minutes of useful throttle time (timer starts at 25% throttle) and when I landed at 8 minutes, I had 46%+ on my cell check with over 3.8 on each cell. And again, that was me both learning the plane and being cautious with a new aircraft as we only had 1 to get all of our media done with.

Extrapolating those numbers, I would fully expect people who run 2 2200mAh 4s packs to acheive an easy 5 minutes of flight and maybe more because the weight loss would also be significant. And you could probably also get that same time if you made a quick 2-1 adaptor and flew on 1 5000mAh 4s pack.

All in all, I never felt like I need or want a 6s setup in this aircraft because again, speed isn't a feature of an OV-10 like maybe a Tigercat would want.

Either way, she's an excellent bird thats different from the norm and exciting to me being that shes a 3 generation aircraft. A young pilot in Afghanistan flying a Bronco could have a father who flew a Bronco in Desert Storm and a Grandfather who flew a Bronco in Vietnam. I find that history of it really cool.

I also am excited to start 3d printing some different ordnance and such because she already looks mean with the LAU's. And now that we started selling FPV equipment, I am 100% going to be fitting that large canopy with an FPV camera. Should make for some really good fun (been awhile since I flew FPV).

Here is a link to the flight video (it's the same one that was in the long announcment video) and you can see a couple things.

1. I am not a perfect pilot by any stretch (hahah)

2. I smack the gear pretty hard on some touch an goes on an awful surface and they are solid.

3. I had my rudder at just 55% rate, so pilots who love more rudder will knock this baby around on a dime.

FlightLine RC OV-10A Bronco Flight - Motion RC (16 min 19 sec)

Overall, I was a fan of the OV-10 prior to even knowing Alpha and Freewing were designing a foam version, so I was excited to finally get one. It's unique, with a cool history and a very versatile flying experience inbetween my EDF and Taildragger flights at the field.

Love this plane, thrilled to see Freewing make it, Motion sell it, and me buy it.

Some of those landings were "aggressive", good to see the gear can take a little hit.

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Heck, I am just trying to figure out where to put it. Have more in bedroom 😃 LOL.
Yes, I am asking if my Hobby Star 4600 batteries will fit and are light enough at 395 grams each to use. I think based on the 4 2S batteries used in review they’re good to go.

Hello Ken,
As James just indicated in the prior post, the battery bay is large.
My whole fleet battery structure is around the 2&3S 5000mAh bricks because I serial/parallel them into various configurations for 4-10S applications.
In the Bronco I am using 4 of the 2S 5000 Admirals with plenty of room. I'm not aware of the dimension/weight of a Hobby Star 4600 but I'm sure you can compare to the Admiral spec by reviewing the product page.
Here's some pics of those batteries in the Bronco from the Squawk build post I mention/reference earlier on this thread.
Regards,
Warbird Charlie

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

Not sure if you can order from the EU warehouse but Hobbyking has some great deals on at the moment... I think I heard the UK warehouse was having issues or something...

Price is tempting but I stopped buying HK batteries ages ago. My favourite batteries are HRB but I cannot find any 4S 4000s in the UK. I think I am gonna go with Admiral 4S 4000.

Thanks OV, I looked and from what
I gather your battery setup was 523 grams, or close to that and with the posting from James I think I am good to go at 395 grams per battery. Now I just need to see if I will fly it enough to justify buying it. .

Ken

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Thanks OV, I looked and from what
I gather your battery setup was 523 grams, or close to that and with the posting from James I think I am good to go at 395 grams per battery. Now I just need to see if I will fly it enough to justify buying it. .

Ken

Ken...………. Don't know where ya got that baseline weight but it isn't from the link I gave.
Those 2S 5000 weigh 276g x4=1104g tot which is easily 200+ more than your 2 Hobby Star's @ 790g tot.
You are definitely golden for any weight concerns
Best regards,
Warbird Charlie

Then came the D model and the D+. In fact, many are still flying for CAL Fire

VMO-2 in fact did lose an airframe in Banning Pass in ‘89...wasn’t the airplanes fault.

A true dirt bike with wings ...that could go well above 18K

[Q UOTE=quitcherbitchen;44245971]Maybe it is scale Here is a quote from Wikipedia : Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It was significantly underpowered, which contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough.[7] While specifications state that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam the aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.[6]

On that note: I'll take the Skyraider Alex for $1000.00[/QUOTE]

A few asides concerning the full scale OV-10A. The Air Force purchased the vast majority of the "A" model(157). I have just under 1000 hrs. in the "Bronco" as a FAC in Vietnam.
The 18000 Ft. ceiling is because we operated them at their max gross: 14000 lbs. "Underpowered" is a relative thing. The Garrett engines were intentionally de-rated from 1000 shp, to 715 to greatly increase reliability in combat conditions.
Our operating procedures were to never attempt to "ditch" the airplane. It had a absolutely outstanding egress system, as was proven many times.
Maneuverable? Boy, howdy! I could "slit S" from level flight in 1000 ft., pull an "immelman" and gain the 1000 ft. right back; turn on a dime, and give you 11 cents back.

Old Dawg

And you can't get a more candid first hand impression than that
My gratitude for your service G limit
Best regards,
Warbird Charlie

I'm pulling the trigger on this one. The first plastic model I built as a child was a 1/72 scale OV-10

I think I could fit 12.6Ah worth of 21700 cells in it!

Originally Posted by t01ga

Price is tempting but I stopped buying HK batteries ages ago. My favourite batteries are HRB but I cannot find any 4S 4000s in the UK. I think I am gonna go with Admiral 4S 4000.

Not just price, but quality... Turnigy HDs are some of my favorite batteries. What you get for the money, compared to other brands, is just crazy.

https://hobbyking.com/de_de/turnigy-...de_de_products

Crazy price on these too:

https://hobbyking.com/de_de/rhino-50...de_de_products

Maybe too big for the Bronco, but I got one for my 8th scale truggy...

Originally Posted by 68Strat

I think I could fit 12.6Ah worth of 21700 cells in it!

I'd love to know what your flight duration would be with those suckers in there!

Originally Posted by Herrsavage

Not just price, but quality... Turnigy HDs are some of my favorite batteries. What you get for the money, compared to other brands, is just crazy.

https://hobbyking.com/de_de/turnigy-...de_de_products

Crazy price on these too:

https://hobbyking.com/de_de/rhino-50...de_de_products

Maybe too big for the Bronco, but I got one for my 8th scale truggy...

So far, the Rhino line has been pretty good for me. But, the HD line has become complete trash. Every single one puffs under easy use and they have really high IR numbers. I used to have great luck with them but won't buy another HD.

I use the Graphene packs from HK, best money I have ever spent ! I will use them as long as HK carries them !