Gizmodo
Here's the 1:5 scale A-10 Warthog remote control model in some video action at Top Gun 2008, in Lakeland, FL.—the biggest remote controlled airplane competition in the world. And to match it, a real A-10 appeared on the scene, taking off from a parallel runway. We interviewed Mike Selby, one of the model creators, and got all the technical details about this amazing $12,000 beast, with two jet turbines, three on-board microprocessors, 24 servos, a 1" OLED display in its cockpit and a fully-functional gatling gun. Jump to see all its amazing details in a 26-photo gallery. [Video and images courtesy of Bob Parrish]
A10 RC Model vs the Real Thing at Top Gun 2008
Here's the 1:5 scale A-10 Warthog remote control model in some video action at
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Ability to drop bombs and a fully functioning Gatling gun?? WTF?? How is it not illegal to build and own one of these? And where the hell do I get one - I'll make those damn chipmunks pay for defiling my garden!
I can't believe it was ONLY 12,000. twin turbines and a fully functional gatling gun?
Let's just be fair and never call this a "hobby" again.
this was in popular science its sweet..
What a great plane to reproduce too!
Tough, great handling, and LETHAL!
One of my favorites.
Who WOULDN'T want one of their own??
Incredible work, just incredible.
The A-10 is singularly my favorite plane in the whole world. I wonder if the guy went to all of the trouble to make it as survivable as the real thing.
@strider_mt2k: At summer camp once, two A-10's were flying over the camp doing maneuvers for practice or something. I think they saw it was a camp, and decided to give us a cheap show. That's when I saw how graceful they are despite their bad ass looks.
I really liked the F4 Phantom, but the A-10 is also fucking awesome.
That is one hell of a replica, I'd bet the Gatling gun is probably a pellet gun or something...
It's a fantastic plane and one the Russians really never got to terms with ....
especially the firepower
I can imagine just sitting there teetering it on my hand going "ffbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rakakakakakakaakakakkak!"
I wonder how much kick that mini gatlin has. The full sized plane's gun is so powerful, it had to be put off center of the plane's axis so that it doesn't stall it out when it fires.
Increase the range, mass produce it, load some real bombs in it and use it in a real war.
Looks more menacing then the remote control planes they use already.
The A-10 "Warthog" "Tank Killer"...ranks in the top 5 favourites:
-B17 (actually got flight time in one)
-SR71 (how a 50's tech plane rivals all)
-F15 Tomcat (TopGun romanticized this workhorse)
-A10 (ambush alley)
-F22 (vectoring thrust...sexy)
my uncle builds these, spends like 90% of his time building them, but he builds f16's mostly... you can't tell from the videos just the sheer size of how big these planes are they make your model planes look like trinkets...
my uncle was really excited when they switched from using turbo props inside the engines... he was like a 45 year old kid in a candy store when he got his first 3500$ jet turbine for his models... :)
a fooking amazing!
@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Sorry man but the F15 is the Eagle. The F14 is the Tomcat.
Sweet. but needs more real a10 footage. Loves it.
@SigmundTheSeaMonster:
Just a small correction: The Tomcat was in Top Gun but it is the F-14. The F-15 is the Eagle or Strike Eagle.
Ugg... too slow, somebody allready beat me to it. My apologies.
@SigmundTheSeaMonster:
That's a great list, but I'd have to throw in the P-38 for some additional old-school goodness. :D
(Flown in a B17? Lucky devil!)
Pew, pew, pew...
Punch out Maverick!
@SigmundTheSeaMonster:
Interestingly enough, vectoring thrust was tried on planes like the F-16, seen here:
Interestingly, there's something mechanically erotic about the way the nozzle moves around, but that's another story.
+ Watch video
@Kaiser-Machead: The cannon fires right down the centerline of the aircraft. If this were not the case, firing the cannon would cause the aircraft to violently yaw, at a detriment to accuracy.
The cannon was shifted to one side of the fuselage and configured to fire at the 9 o'clock position (rather than standard 12 o'clock) to give the designers somewhere to put the nose gear.
Your other point is almost correct though. The cannon produces roughly the same thrust as of one of the engines. The A-10 is built for survivability, so one engine is far more than sufficient for operation. The cannon will slow the aircraft significantly, but will not cause it to stall.
@wagnerrp
Dang! beat me to it!
@wagnerrp: Woops. My bad. Thanks for correcting =S
I'd like to know what "fully functional" means in regards to the gatling gun. Airsoft maybe?
That is a thing of beauty. It's a good thing I never got into RC planes, otherwise I could see myself starting on a very expensive project in the near future.
Amazing RC and aircraft
I thought the cannon on the A10 was at centerline and the nose gear was off to the side. I thought the A10 was built around the cannon which is why it's a bad-ass of an aircraft. The Titanium Bathtub can be closely matched by the Soviet equivalent Su-25. I think the A10 is a better aircraft but I'm sure others will disagree.
can someone do some research on this "working gatling gun" ? i'm at work but need to find out about this ASAP. if this is true, i need to go refinance my mortgage.
@apeguero: The nose gear is off to the side. However if the cannon were down the center of the fuselage, the nose gear would not fit.
@Kaiser-Machead: I thought that the cannon mount was shifted off center so that the actual bullet trajectory is in axis with the aircraft's thrust vector.
Oh, and anything called a 'tank killer' is badass in my book.
i wonder if he kept the airfoil true to scale, and that's why gyro's are needed for takeoff and landing(?)
so that's how rich old men go broke.
@kahri: You oughta see they guys who spend gobs of money on making 5' - 7' R/C balsa battleships, then spend countless hours making them look realistic, only to have battles with them and sink each other (CO2/BB's).
Do Want!
Awesome! I am one of the computer systems engineers for the A-10C Warthog (C for precision engagement) here at Lockheed Martin, and am honored to see people love the plane as much as I do! The triple-processor 'computer' he uses mimics the triple-computer system we added. This guy is unbelievable!
with all the effort to biuld this a-10,
great job by the way,
why doesn't the landing gear retract.
Where do I get the depleted uranium rounds for my model?
@tomaartist: What are you talking about? The landing gear retracts just fine.
@divided421: Glad to know Lockheed Martin people follow us.
@divided421: So is there still active development on the ol' Warthog? Always liked that plane...
Used to waste gobs of time starting out the window at the test flight line for McDonnell-Douglas - F15's, F18's, and AV-8B's - the first two taking off and ascending straight up, follow it as high as you can, watch for the spin, roll, and flyaway.... I miss that job. Got nothing done for almost a year....
I think it is/was every A-10 pilot's wet dream to get any Enemy aircraft infront of and inrange of that gun...
Damn. Guess I'll be going home for lunch...
@strider_mt2k: If we're going old school, I have to go for the Chance Vought F4U Corsair. How many time did our guys over the Pacific make it home despite the plane being full of bullet holes? Love that thing!
And I've always loved the A10 just as much. These guys did a great job!
Oh my 29 heaping pounds of trust, I'd let that plane catch me.
Aw man... My dad loves the A10, and I was sick this weekend so we didn't go. Next year though, I am going!
I personally prefer the XB-70 and secondly the SR-71, but thats just me speed over power any day.
My brother in law builds these and am frequently impressed with the engineering that goes into get a plane perfected, scaled, and tuned.
He never lets me fly one though...
Yes, the plane is currently slated to fly until 2028 (although some say it will make it longer). It is scheduled to be replaced by the F-35, which does not cover the same types of ground as our 'Hog, nor does it offer ground troops the same level of protection. This this IS a flying tank. The current upgrades include a semi-digital cockpit (the original model is ALL analog buttons/switches - terrifying), smart precision weapon interfaces, next generation radios / communication equipment and most of the fleet are getting a new pair of wings.
Kaiser-Machead got his cannon explanation correct - and the nose gear is mostly off to the right, to accommodate the massive size of the weapon. With 1/2 the thrust being counteracted by firing the avenger, the biggest problem we have is that nose tends to fly up during a burst. Also, there were major concerns over the oxygen-depleted exhaust of the cannon stalling the engines depending on the angle of attack. Luckily, for survivability and practicality, the engines are mounted up high, mitigating some of these concerns.
@divided421: I could make something out of "massive weapon" and "nosegear"
...but this has been a pretty dignified discussion so far....