Skylift

The HVY Skylift is a very large heavy-lift helicopter featured in Grand Theft Auto IV's episode The Ballad of Gay Tony. It resembles a S-64 Skycrane/Aircrane. It is first seen in the mission Caught with your Pants Down, where it is being used to transport an APC across Algonquin, in which Luis Fernando Lopez must shoot the chains holding it steady to send the APC crashing to earth in order to steal it for Yusuf Amir. It is also seen in the mission For the Man Who Has Everything, where Yusuf flies one in order to hijack a train car from the subway system.

Even though the Skylift is addressed as unobtainable, the helicopter can still be obtained with a minor exploit involving chasing Yusuf Amir and retrieving the Skylift after the mission For the Man Who Has Everything. The easiest method to use for this involves spawning a Buzzard as soon as he says "have fun with it", chasing the Skylift, and shooting it down over a large area, where it can be stolen. A video illustrating this method can be seen here. 

When the Skylift is obtained it can be saved at a safehouse as long as it has a lot of space (at least two wheels in the yellow chalked spot, (the best one being the Middle Park East Safehouse). The magnet doesn't work, simply because it isn't intended to be obtainable, so there is no animation for it working (except during 'For the Man Who Has Everything').

Trivia

 * Luis calls it an aircrane while flying to the Skylift holding the APC during Caught With Your Pants Down.Skylift_body.png
 * Yusuf states when he first sees the Skylift that he wanted it. Its possible he did steal this Skylift for when Luis steals the Subway Cart during For The Man Who Has Everything.
 * Although there are no stickers on the Skylift, it is manufactured by HVY, as can be heard on the police radio.
 * Due to its enormous weight, it's easily the slowest helicopter in the game.
 * It can take a few RPG or Buzzard rockets before catching fire.
 * There are actually two models for the Skylift present during For the Man Who Has Everything, one which has the train car held beneath it, and one without it. The model with the train car can be obtained; however this is very difficult, and if the camera shifts away from the Skylift, the car will disappear. Even if obtained, the train car is not solid, and will disappear if saved.
 * The Skylift is the only helicopter in the GTA series to have six blades.
 * The Skylift actually has a third seat, which is facing backwards, and is located at the rear of the cockpit. However this seat can not be used by anyone.
 * The logo "Liberty Sky-Lift" might be a parody of "Erickson Air-Crane", the manufacturer and main operator of the S-64, so "Liberty Sky-Lift" might be the operator of the Skylift.