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The OV-10 Bronco Association Board of Directors is proud to announce
that we have been awarded a real Bronco. Jim Hodgson, President,
received a call yesterday, March 30, from the the General Services
Adminiatration that the OV-10 that California Department of Forestry
had released and designated for us would be transferred to OBA
within the next couple of weeks.

Some of you may not be aware that our non-profit charter is to
preserve and perpetuate the history of the OV-10 Bronco and the
people who have and are serving with it throughout the world. We
have now accomplished one of our primary stated missions of
acquiring and preserving an OV-10.

The airframe we will be receiving is an OV-10A, 155426. This
particular airframe is historically significant and the Bronco
Association is honored to be its caretakers. Here is a little
history on the aircraft.

OV-10A Bronco, Military Serial Number 155426, was the 66th Bronco
manufactured and the 37th for the Marine Corps. It was delivered to
the US Marine Corp for active service on June 28, 1968 to Marine
Light Helicopter Squadron 267 at Camp Pendleton, California. At
that time, the OV-10 had not yet seen combat in Vietnam. That would
take place two weeks later on July 6, 1968 in Da Nang, Republic of
Vietnam, where 426 arrived on August 8, 1968. It was assigned to
Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2), Marine Air Group 16 (MAG-16)
at MCALF Marble Mountain. In February 1970 VMO-2 moved to Marine
Air Group 11 at Da Nang AB. During it's 32 month Vietnam tour it
probably flew over 2500 hours on over 1000 missions.

In March of 1971 #426, as part of the VMO-2 stand down in Vietnam,
was transferred to Marine Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6) at Marine
Corp Air Station Futema, Okinawa, Japan. In January of 1977, when
VMO-6 was disestablished, it was transferred to the Headquarters and
Maintenance Squadron 36, also at MCAS Futema. It remained overseas
until 1991 when it was returned to MCAS Camp Pendleton and
reassigned for duty with Marine Observation Squadron 2 as aircraft
#16. After a short stint in Marine Helicopter Training Squadron 301,
it was assigned to civilian duty with the Bureau of Land Management
in Boise, Idaho in 1993 and registered as N97LM. In December 1999
she was again transferred. This time 426 was assigned to the
California Department of Forestry.

The OV-10 Bronco Association considers Bronco Number 155426 to be an
honored war veteran and consider it a privilege and honor to restore
her as a living memorial to the 61 pilots and crew who lost their
lives in the Bronco from Vietnam to Desert Storm as well as the tens
of thousands of others who served with these work horses.

The acquisition of our Bronco has been a long process, but now
another hurdle has to be crossed: dismantling, transportation and
reassembly at the Bronco association Museum in Fort Worth. The
association estimates that it will cost in excess of $10,000 to
deliver the aircraft to Fort Worth. We are a small museum and the
treasury is already strained from the expense of acquiring the QF-
4S "SCOOBY". Again we plan to do much of the work ourselves and
with volunteers to reduce the costs.

Your donations will help bring 155426 to its new home. Remember
that the OV-10 Bronco Association is an IRS registered 501c3 not for
profit museum.

Chuck "IGOR" Burin Chairman of the Board of Directors - OV-10
Bronco Association


"RickUSN: That was intelligent and useful Mudd. But it certainly is what Ive come to expect. Mindless babbling with no intent to either enlighten or inform

cool, congrats <img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle>


Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://publish.hometown.aol.com/boomer0400/images/fal_avatar.jpg" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Mudd, do you have an address for the Bronco museum in Fort Worth? (didn't even know there was one here)

" At least God has a sense of humor about the end of the world. Dr. Atkins died. Slipped, hit his head, got brain damage, died on life support. The man that invented the all meat diet...died a vegetable."
Titus

_________________
\"One of you is gonna fall and die, and I'm not cleaning it up\"

Everything ya need to know about the OBA. http://www.ov-10bronco.net/

"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see their near and dear bathed in tears, to ride their horses and sleep on the white bellies of their wives and daughters."
-Genghis Khan

_________________
\"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. \"

George S. Patton

Folks,

Yesterday we signed the paperwork on our Bronco. This week a
survey
team will be visiting the California Department or Forestry at Mather
to
take an initial look at our Bronco and see what it will need to
transport
back to Texas.

A few of you have asked about using Paypal to help with our giving
campaign and costs of bringing Scooby and Bronco #426 to Texas for the
Veterans Memorial Air Park.

I was going to get fancy with buttons and things to make donations
through Paypal, but I have to go back on the road and wouldn't get at
that
until next week.

So, if you would like to help, and any amount will be appreciated,
use
our donation email for Paypal of obainfo@comcast.net. If you aren't
familiar with Paypal check www.paypal.com for details. It is a fast,
easy
and secure way to make purchase or donate.

To be sure your gift goes where you want it too, please make on
note on
the comments section for FACM, OBA Readyroom, Mockup, Restoration Fund
or
general.

You can get full details on our bronco at www.ov-10bronco.net. We
even
have some old pictures of it in its flying days. Unfortunately, it has
been
cannibalized by CDF for their flyers and it will be a long and
expensive
project to get ours looking good. It is ours though, not a loan. We
do
have to pay a transfer fee of $2,500 for it, so that will be the firs
hurdle
and transporting it here will be the next one.

Cheers,

Jim Hodgson
OBA President

"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see their near and dear bathed in tears, to ride their horses and sleep on the white bellies of their wives and daughters."
-Genghis Khan

_________________
\"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. \"

George S. Patton

Hi folks,

Great news!

Just after we announced the acquisition of #426 a couple weeks ago,
one
of our members, Gordy "Hostage Bear" Evans heard that another airplane
might
be available. Seems another Bronco was offered to a museum but it was
refused. Due to some quick work by Bear, I can announce to you today
that
OBA will be receiving a second OV-10.

We are still a little unclear about exactly which airplane it is,
but
here is what we believe to be true.

The aircraft is a former Air Force airplane, #825. It was crated
to SEA
in 1969 and assigned to the 23 TASS until 1973 when it was transferred
to
the 601 TCW at Sembach Germany. In 1984 it was serving with the Bureau
of
Land Management as the "City of Fairbanks." It went to CDF in 1999.

The aircraft is in much the same condition as the other one,
missing
parts but mostly intact. Like the other one, fees and transportation
will
cost around $10,000. Seems all you blue suites now have a reason to
step
up. Maybe it's a race?

This is great news for all of us. We now will have a Marine
airplane
that served in Vietnam and Desert Storm and an Air Force airplane that
served in SEA and the Cold War.

Cheers,

Jim

PS Pictures and history are welcome. I have asked the NAIL FAC
Association to act as the clearing house for #825s information.

"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see their near and dear bathed in tears, to ride their horses and sleep on the white bellies of their wives and daughters."
-Genghis Khan

_________________
\"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. \"

George S. Patton

AWESOME.