Maverick

The Maverick (also referred by players and characters simply as the Chopper) is a civilian helicopter in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Grand Theft Auto:V. The Maverick has also appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories but it is not intended for the player to use.

Overview
The Maverick is based on the Bell 206 L Longranger, but the GTA IV rendition features four blades on its main rotor, similar to the Bell 407, but retaining the body design of previous Mavericks (pre-release material such as television footage, suggests GTA IV's Maverick was originally intended to retain its two blade rotor).

Overall, the Maverick is a good choice of transport in GTA Vice City, but GTA San Andreas has many better options. In GTA IV, most helicopters are just variants of the Maverick, so for style go for a different variant (like a Helitours Maverick). However, for function, go for an Annihilator as it has weaponry and is the fastest helicopter in the game. Since GTA Vice City, the police has their own version of the Maverick called the Police Maverick.

GTA Vice City — GTA Vice City Stories
In GTA Vice City, the Maverick is a fully accessible vehicle, available in quite a few places. It has a moderate maximum speed, can survive some damage, and it is the only helicopter that is available in a variety of colors. There is also another smaller two-passenger version dubbed VCN Maverick that is used by the Vice City News Network.

In GTA San Andreas, the Maverick is essentially the same helicopter, but with slightly altered handling, and a new sound. As in GTA Vice City, there is also a news helicopter version of the Maverick, the News Chopper, that can be seen flying along with the Police Maverick once the player reaches a 4-star wanted level.

In GTA Vice City Stories, the Maverick is used in some missions. During the mission High Wire, a magnet is attached to the Maverick to act like a sky crane, which is not available outside the mission. Lance also owns one, which is seen occasionally in the game.

The Maverick in GTA Liberty City Stories is not intended to be obtained by the player. However, it can be obtained by the player during the missions Calm Before the Storm given by Joseph Daniel O'Toole and False Idols given by Ned Burner. The Maverick can be obtained more easily by using this trainer for the PSP version of the game. It is unusually fast and can reach high speeds in a matter of three seconds, which is not possible with the Maverick in other games. Moving the camera moves the helicopter (because the right analog stick was to alternatively control a helicopter in Vice City.) The blades are used of that of an AI-controlled Police Maverick, and the blades renders transparency incorrectly when they are viewed through the blades (i.e. trees.)

GTA IV
In GTA IV the Maverick has been changed slightly, including new crash animations, four rotor blades, blinking lights, new sound and improved design, although it still remains similar to the previous renditions of the Maverick and shows similar flight abilities. In GTA IV, the Maverick is the only civilian helicopter, and it may be found at either Francis International Airport, some of the helipads, on skyscraper helipads, the Alderney Heliport above the Booth Tunnel or even during Brucie's Heli Ride activity. Since this is an unarmed helicopter (unless a passenger is shooting a weapon), this is not advised for chases or any fighting in general.

When the player unlocks Brucie's Chopper ability, or visits Higgins Helitours, the player can spot this humorous message on the "A" pillar while in the passenger seat: "This helicopter might crash but we really don't care if it does, refer to flight manual for help."

In addition to the aforementioned difference in rotor design (a two-blade rotor replaced by a four-blade variety), pre-release materials also depict earlier forms of the Maverick as having shut rear doors, as opposed to slid open doors in the final version.

GTA V
In GTA V, the Maverick sees a significant change in appearance, and looks to now be modeled after the Eurocopter EC135 as opposed to the Bell 206.

Owners

 * Lance Vance - as seen in GTA VC and GTA VCS.
 * Massimo Torini - Massimo owns a Maverick that is jet black with two white stripes as seen during the missions Calm Before the Storm and The Sicilian Gambit. (Note that the Maverick in Calm Before the Storm is completely indestructible, while the one in The Sicilian Gambit is normal.)Calmbeforethestormmaverick.jpg
 * Reni Wassulmaier - owns a gray Maverick with two pink stripes as seen during the mission Accidents Will Happen.
 * Faith W. - as seen during the mission False Idols
 * Kazuki Kasen - owns a bullet and explosion proof Maverick, seen in Cash in Kazuki's Chips.
 * Little Lion - seen in the mission The Da Nang Thang.
 * Ricardo Diaz (unconfirmed)
 * Tommy Vercetti - owns two Mavericks, one at Hyman Condo and the other at Vercetti Estate.
 * Mike Toreno - as seen during the mission Pier 69
 * Arthur Stubbs - owns a black Maverick as seen in The Lost and Damned mission Politics.
 * Eduard Borodin - as seen in the Grand Theft Auto IV mission Dust Off and Paper Trail.
 * Giovanni Ancelotti - as seen in Ladies' Night.
 * Brucie Kibbutz - during the Heli Rides during friendship activities and Special Ability.

Variants

 * Police Maverick, Mavericks adopted for use by the police.
 * VCN Maverick and News Chopper, Mavericks modified into news helicopters.
 * Coastguard Maverick, a cut Maverick in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories intended as a variant used by the Coastguard.
 * Helitours Maverick, Mavericks for use in helitours.

Trivia

 * Even though the Maverick in GTA Liberty City Stories is not meant to be obtained, the controls from previous games still work. It also lacks an in-game name.
 * In The Ballad of Gay Tony, Mavericks are scripted to be flown by civilians, and can be found flying around the coastline of Francis International Airport.
 * A special golden Maverick is used during The Ballad of Gay Tony Drug Wars.
 * In Grand Theft Auto IV, despite having its rear doors open, the player will always smash the window rather than a safer way by going through the back door. The same thing happens when getting into the Annihilator.
 * In the GTA IV era, the player can use a Maverick to evade up to a 4-star wanted level. The player can take the Maverick, elevate to the highest point the player can go and the fastest as he can go at the same time, then the player must jump out of the Maverick. This while make the character fall out but at the same time travelling distance through the air because of the speed, the player must land on water to survive, then if the player still hasn´t gotten out of the wanted level police radar on the minimap below, the player must swim out of the radar avoiding patrol boats. In TBoGT, the Maverick might escape up to a 5 star wanted level due to the fact that in TBoGT, the player can fly higher up into the sky.
 * The Maverick is the last vehicle seen in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories hence making it the last vehicle non-chronologically shown in the GTA III Era.
 * In the GTA IV era, the player can open the front doors of the Maverick, and on the radar, on the dashboard, the player can see what looks to be a picture of a fighter jet, which could have been used for the Fighter, which was a plane flyable before GTA IV was released.
 * While taking a ride with Brucie's helicopter you can see a sign at your right which says "This helicopter might crash. But we don't really care if it does. Refer to flight manual for help."
 * In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, if you scrape the Maverick's landing gear on any surface you will see tire marks.
 * In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, the doors of the Maverick can't be closed if Vic comes out. However, this was fixed in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
 * Actually, Mavericks have 5 seats, but it's only used for 4 people.
 * In GTA San Andreas, the helicopter's blades do not show frames when they're rotating.
 * The Maverick's name may be a reference to the 1986 film Top Gun, as Maverick is the callsign of the main character, and the whole film is about flying.
 * In GTA LCS and GTA VCS, the Maverick assumes a slightly different appearence. The cockpit now resembles that of the YOH-4, the Bell 206's prototype version. Its tail boom is also different, appearing stubbier and longer than previous versions. However, the Police Maverick still has the same model, with GTA VC and GTA SA style cockpit and tailboom, albeit with the respective game's police department paint job (LCPD and VCPD).
 * The GTA VCS rendition emits door opening/closing noises similar to the Police Maverick, while other renditions has "heavy" door noises similar to large trucks like the Barracks OL, Linerunner, and the Flatbed

GTA LCS

 * White with two red stripes
 * White with two blue stripes
 * Mint-cream with two white stripes
 * Black with two white stripes (Unique, it can't be saved. You'll never see this paint job even if you respray your Maverick) Appears in Calm Before The Storm and The Sicilian Gambit
 * Red with two white stripes
 * Completely black, appears in Caught in The Act, even modifying the Maverick with Black Cars cheat will not make it jet black
 * Blue with two white stripes
 * Dark grey, you can faintly see two stripes on the sides

GTA IV

 * Black with white stripes
 * Blue with white stripes
 * Red with white stripes
 * Green with white stripes
 * White with red stripes
 * White with black stripes

GTA V

 * Black with silver strips

GTA Vice City

 * Roof of the Hyman Condo safehouse.
 * Roof of the Vercetti Estate after the mission Rub Out. If the Sea Sparrow is unlocked, there is a less chance of the Maverick spawning.
 * Uniquely-colored Maverick in the mission Loose Ends.

GTA San Andreas

 * Easter Bay International Airport, near the Dodo hangars. Oddly, the doors are not locked even without a pilot's license, allowing it to be used if the player can get into the airport.
 * The top of the Los Santos Tower in Downtown Los Santos. The tower has a star-shaped top. The Maverick may not be there, it spawns more when you fly there, especially when flying a Sparrow.
 * San Fierro Police Headquarters Helipad in Downtown San Fierro. Spawns there after Toreno's Last Flight, the mission where you have to stop Mike Toreno with a rocket launcher. Note: This should only be taken as a last resort, since going behind the gate without a law enforcement vehicle triggers a 3 star wanted level. To avoid it, park a police bike right next to it and then take off as fast as possible.
 * Bayside Marina helipad (note that a Sea Sparrow often also spawns here)
 * On the roof of San Fierro Medical Center, Santa Flora, San Fierro (note that a Raindance also spawns east of here)
 * Helipad at The Emerald Isle (If it does not spawn, walk to the very east of the building and walk back and it should be there).
 * In the underground lot of the LVPD headquarters but its impossible to get out with it.

GTA Liberty City Stories
Much like other helicopters in the game, the Maverick in GTA Liberty City Stories is unobtainable, as the game's developer may had been unable to adapt the entire city for player-controlled helicopters, such as adding solid boundaries on building and roofs, setting a ceiling height limit, or a crash animation.

However, the helicopter is, along with the Police Maverick, the only helicopter to appear proper during mission, although the player is normally unable to obtain one in any of its appearances (unless otherwise stated):


 * During "Calm Before the Storm", an indestructible Maverick is used as Massimo Torini's mode of transport, sporting a uniquely jet black color with two white stripes. The helicopter can be obtained in the PSP version as the helicopter makes a stopover at Chinatown.
 * During "The Passion of the Heist", when a fireproof Maverick is flown by a gang that stole diamonds. The helicopter can be obtained.
 * During "Sayonara Sindaccos", there's a dark Sindacco Maverick nearly at the end of the mission, which is shot down by Toni.
 * During "Caught in the Act", which features a fireproof "Secret Service", pure black Maverick.
 * During "False Idols", when a Maverick is used to transport actress Faith W. to the Liberty City Free Radio station. The helicopter is obtainable.
 * During "Cash in Kazuki's Chips", which features a bullet/explosion-proof Maverick belonging to Kazuki Kasen. The helicopter is obtainable
 * During "The Sicilian Gambit", when a Maverick is used by Massimo to launch an assault on the player at the Portland Rock lighthouse is required to be shot down. The helicopter is vulnerable to damage.

Other than the aformentioned missions, the Maverick can otherwise be obtainable by using cheat devices or third party trainers.

GTA Vice City Stories

 * On the helipad near Hyman Memorial Stadium.
 * Near the helipad in Escobar International Airport (activates Vice Sights mission as you enter).

GTA IV + Episodes from Liberty City

 * Alderney City heliport, above the Alderney exit of the Booth Tunnel.
 * Private helipad at a mansion on Owl Creek Ave in Westdyke, Alderney.
 * Roof of the MeTV skyscraper in Star Junction, Algonquin. Its roof can be accessed via a window-cleaner's lift on the west end next to Kunzite Street or by flying there using another helicopter. Only spawns occasionally. Replaced by the Annihilator after killing all 200 Pigeons.
 * On a helipad in front of a waterfront tunnel ventilation tower on the western edge of Purgatory, Algonquin. Only spawns occasionally.
 * Helipad of the Tudor, Alderney fire station in south-west Alderney.

Grand Theft Auto V

 * A black with sliver strips Maverick is used during the mission, The Extraction.