Official FlightLine OV-10 Bronco Discussion Thread

[Cobbster]

I just got back from flying mine,Still all stock,and ive just been slapping batteries {4000,and 3600s]all the way up front and flying it .Today I actually moved the batteries back until it was balanced right on the cg marks.and I gotta say It few noticeably better.Im usually a stickler for Cg balance,but I know I was flying it a little nose heavy.Being a warbird guy I usually start out this way,But getting this bird on cg made it feel much better.

[XairBoss]

As I posted earlier, my first day was 5 flights and I learned about the yaw issue. so, I turned things down a tad. Then I towed my rudders in a little, (1 1/2 turns), to create more drag and hopefully add some feathers to the back of the arrow. It helped a little bit. So far I think the yaw issue is 75% better. But in gusty conditions it still presents itself a little. The next thing i wanted to try was reversing the motors. A friend had accidently made his motors turn outward on a B17 model. It made the plane fly way better than another B17 model with motors turning inward. The old P38 thing, I guess. Has anyone tried this? I doubt this bird could fly on one motor anyway. So I don't feel like I would be giving up any capability.

[Evan D]

Hey!!!

[vduniec]

Creeper van sighted. Stone flight, standy by for 9 line.

[Moki38]

Im sure a tour rotation could be worked out. LOL

Sign me up for the crew roster, i am game.
And ofcource i am willing to fly in California also, no problem.

[sam51401]

As soon as they open an offfice in The Netherlands 😇

Im sure a tour rotation could be worked out. LOL

[xviper]

With these types of gyros (eg, A3-L), I like to be able to adjust the gain "on the fly", thus the master gain on a knob. Since turning the knob all the way counter-clock puts the gain to zero, effectively turning the gyro OFF, there is no need to have an ON/OFF switch. Now, if you wish to retain the knob for your steering, yes, you could use a 3-way switch and set each position for a different gain (or % thereof). Position 0 could be zero gain. Position 1 could be 25% (or something close to this) and Position 2 could be somewhat higher, say maybe 50%. Leave the gain setting pots on the gyro itself as they came (12 o'clock or about 50%). However, having said all this, your ultimate goal is to find a gain setting that is just below the point of control surface oscillation and that requires trial and error and that's when the knob comes in handy. With a switch, you still have to land and reset the gain and go fly again to check it UNLESS you are very good (and daring) to fine tune the % numbers for each switch position "on the fly". Once you've found the perfect gain setting for your plane, you generally will NEVER have to change it or mess with it again. When using the knob, you should write down the "o"clock" position of the dial in the battery compartment so you know where to put it the next time you fly that plane.

[The Sheriff]

xviper Since I don't need the Atti-Lock mode, I could leave the gyro on and dedicate the existing gyro channel to the R knob. Is that correct? If it is correct, is it possible to set up the gain of the regular gyro mode on a 3-position switch, thereby leaving the R knob the way it is currently set?

[The Sheriff]

Unless you have it set up as "dual rudder", it's "Y'd" so you have only ONE rudder. You simply unplug the rudder lead from the RX and put the gyro in between. Your steering is on a different channel and is mixed to rudder. It won't be affected by the gyro.

Sort of... I actually have "single rudder". The nose wheel is plugged into and Aux channel assigned to the R Knob. That Aux channel is mixed with rudder. That gives me nose wheel trim and a lower rate on the nose wheel while still having maximum throw on the rudder. Since the trim isn't an issue, the solution would be to use low rudder rates on the ground and Y-harness/blue box it all in together, freeing up a channel for the Gyro gain.

Thanks for the Idea. Now that I'm thinking about it, I suppose I would prefer the Gyro gain to the separate nose wheel. This is about the time I wish I would have forked over another $120 and bought the DX9.

[xviper]

Im going with a S6R and plan on using just the yaw axis at first to see how it acts. Ill turn the roll and pitch off unless i need it but with yaw damper, i suspect not needed then. Now to program my X9D+ or just wait to use my newly acquired Horus 10........

This "tail waggle" is also coupled with some aileron waggle. If you have the gyro on the AIL and ELE channels, why not just include them? it doesn't hurt anything.

[xviper]

I do have a DX8 and an 8 ch receiver. When I set it up before the maiden I wasn't sure how the dual rudders would act. I like little nose steering for takeoff, so I put the nose wheel on a separate channel. Turns out that wasn't necessary. I might give the gyro gain a shot.

Unless you have it set up as "dual rudder", it's "Y'd" so you have only ONE rudder. You simply unplug the rudder lead from the RX and put the gyro in between. Your steering is on a different channel and is mixed to rudder. It won't be affected by the gyro.

[The Sheriff]

If you go with an 8-ch TX/RX, you can hook up the master gain on the A3-L to ch-7 or 8 and use the knob.

I do have a DX8 and an 8 ch receiver. When I set it up before the maiden I wasn't sure how the dual rudders would act. I like little nose steering for takeoff, so I put the nose wheel on a separate channel. Turns out that wasn't necessary. I might give the gyro gain a shot.

[Moki38]

CAL FIRE would be proud. When do you start spotting for them?

As soon as they open an offfice in The Netherlands 😇

[sam51401]

Im going with a S6R and plan on using just the yaw axis at first to see how it acts. Ill turn the roll and pitch off unless i need it but with yaw damper, i suspect not needed then. Now to program my X9D+ or just wait to use my newly acquired Horus 10........

[sam51401]

CAL FIRE would be proud. When do you start spotting for them?

[Evan D]

That looks great!

My repaint job of the OV-10A Bronco.

[xviper]

I can confirm that the A3L is the way to go. Ordered on the 22nd, standard shipping, arrived on the 24th.

The wind wasn't quite as bad this weekend, but enough to toss this plane around. I mounted the A3L to the inside of the fuse, upright. Plenty of room for the batteries. Only downside: cant fit a regular screwdriver in there to adjust the gain. Using just a flat head bit works well enough.

No tail wobble, handles the wind great. It's like a different plane.

If you go with an 8-ch TX/RX, you can hook up the master gain on the A3-L to ch-7 or 8 and use the knob.

[Moki38]

My repaint job of the OV-10A Bronco.

[The Sheriff]

Well, I had an incident on Saturday. The wind was howling and gusting. Normally, I fly my Carbon Z Splendor in these conditions, but the Splendor was down due to a canopy issue. Having done about 20 flights on the Bronco without incident, I boldly proclaimed, "This thing is a tank" as I walked to the flight line. As it turns out, that was mistake.

I regretted my decision immediately after liftoff. The turbulent gusts were forcefully shoving the Bronco into uncontrolled 90 degree banks. After 3 or 4 approaches I managed to get lined up over the runway only to be hit by another gust inches off the ground. An input of heavy aileron correction leveled the plane as it touched down on the center-line on the mains. The crowd of 2 murmured unenthusiastic cheers while my blood pressure returned to a healthy level.

As I taxied back, I could see the right wing sagging with the prop having barely enough clearance for ground maneuvers.

I removed the right boom and repaired the gear by straightening the connecting pin with a vise. Then I removed and re-glued the plastic mounting bracket. Also, side note, the connector from the ESC wire ripped out so I soldered that. She's now fully operational and ready to rip. Aside from some scuffed ordinances, there is no sign of damage.

I love this plane, and will limit flying it to calm days if need be. I would, however, like for it to be an everyday flyer if possible.

Has anyone had success flying in moderate winds with a gyro? I've tinkered with the A3 Super 3, but not in this plane and haven't really used gyros otherwise. Has anyone tried an A3 Super 3 in the Bronco? If so, where did you mount it? Does a gyro help with the wobble that occurs in low to no winds?

I remember a number of times when the yaw damper would malfunction on the KC-135 we would get that tail wag but using the A-3L gyro on the Broncos as some in this post it acts like a yaw damper.

I can confirm that the A3L is the way to go. Ordered on the 22nd, standard shipping, arrived on the 24th.

The wind wasn't quite as bad this weekend, but enough to toss this plane around. I mounted the A3L to the inside of the fuse, upright. Plenty of room for the batteries. Only downside: cant fit a regular screwdriver in there to adjust the gain. Using just a flat head bit works well enough.

No tail wobble, handles the wind great. It's like a different plane.

[vduniec]

I can print but not design, Any chance you could design the long nose modification for the OV-10D? I know that's asking alot, I'd be willing to pay for a working thingiverse file solution. Thanks for the files you've done so far great work!

Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, the “D” nose would be a bit too complex for my abilities. I’m only familiar with Tinkercad and that’s basically one step above designing with Legos. I’ve been thinking about going to the next level of CAD programs. If I do, I’ll let you know if it’s something I can do.