Helicopter


 * This article is about helicopters in general. For helicopters assuming the "Helicopter" name, see Helicopter (disambiguation).



Helicopters are recurring aircraft first introduced in Grand Theft Auto 1 as non-controllable vehicles, and available as controllable vehicles since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Helicopters complement fixed-wing aircraft, and possesses advantages and drawbacks. Due to similar attributes, gyrocopters such as the Little Willie are classified under this article, although both the helicopter and the gyrocopter fall more accurately under the rotorcraft category.

Design
Helicopters are vertical take-off aircraft which utilize one or more horizontal rotors to control height and one tail rotor to stabilize the aircraft from spinning out of control from the force of the horizontal rotor(s). As a result of its construction, helicopters are more capable of executing vertical takeoff and landing, as well as hovering in the air, but is slower in speed than fixed-wing aircraft as horizontal movement is dependent on the tilt of the vehicle rather than the propulsion of the rotor.

The player can control the speed of the rotor using the acceleration and brake command, while banking, which requires the use of both the steering commands for side banks and two sets of directional commands for forward/backward leans and turning. Since GTA Vice City, helicopters in GTA typically support between one to four occupants.

With its rotors fully exposed, the blades of the helicopter itself can be effectively used as a weapon against any person on the street, killing them instantly on contact, but requires risky controlling of the aircraft. Games prior allow only the horizontal rotor to inflict such damage, while helicopters in GTA IV allow the player to kill using the tail rotor as well.

Damage
Helicopters can sustain damage and crash or explode as a result. The earliest known helicopter to possess this weakness are the Police Helicopter and Helicopter in Grand Theft Auto III, which are vulnerable to gunfire or a rocket launcher. By the time helicopters were controllable in GTA Vice City, helicopters may also suffer damage from impact on hard surfaces (with the exception of landing) or other solid objects, and cease to function outright in water if they do not have pontoons (i.e. the Sea Sparrow). The degree of damage on a helicopter is only indicated by the presence of smoke or fire appearing from the horizontal rotor.

An exception to this are the helicopters flown by the police. These helicopters are scripted to take damage differently than flyable helicopters. They do not emit smoke and fire if they are heavily damaged. However, if the helicopter sustains too much damage, it will begin to spin in circles and gravitate towards the ground. Once it hits the ground it will disintegrate immediately, and parts of the helicopter can be seen flying in random directions. Also, the entire tail boom of the helicopters can be severed with the use of powerful weapons (such as a rocket launcher), resulting in it spinning in circles rapidly.

In GTA San Andreas, the damage system has been improved when compared to its predecessors. If the player heavily damages a helicopter, the rotors will weaken in power (indicated by some loss in the ability to climb as well as a lowered pitch in the engine sound (the same applies to planes for their engines)), making flying more difficult. If the helicopter sustains even more damage, the rotors will weaken further and will emit smoke, and the helicopter starts to rotate in circles, making it even harder to control. The main rotor at this point has been damaged to the extent where the player can no longer climb. Eventually, the main rotor will either catch fire, or parts of the helicopter will explode several times. These are the game's last signs of the helicopter's imminent destruction. From this point on, the player will have almost no control over the helicopter, as most of its control surfaces have been heavily damaged. Around 15 seconds after the initial fire, the helicopter will inevitably explode violently, destroying it completely and killing the player. However, it is worth noting that the models of helicopters still remain unchanged despite heavy damage.

As GTA Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories reuse GTA III's engine, they revert back to GTA III's/GTA Vice City's damage engine. This system remains unchanged until GTA IV.

In GTA IV, the damage mechanics of helicopters have been improved greatly. If the helicopter blades hit a wall too much, the blades will be ripped apart and the helicopter, devoid of its ability to maintain lift, will fall, either inflicting damage, killing the player, or both. Also, the entire tail boom can snap off if the player strikes it against a building or barrier with enough force. With the tail boom destroyed, the player has little control over the helicopter except for the altitude. As in real life the tail rotor is used for stabilizing the helicopter by providing a force against the rotational force of the main rotor as well as rotating the helicopter through the use of the rudder pedals, in GTA IV (and real life), the lack of one causes the helicopter to spin in circles rapidly. While in a helicopter, beeping can be heard once the helicopter sustains too much damage. If the helicopter sustains more damage after the beeping alert is heard, it can either explode (which will be evidenced by the engines being on fire) or the tail boom will break off. Also, though hard to make happen, instead of the entire tailbroom being severed, the tail rotor may shatter, resulting in the same realistic spin effect. There is also one type of damage that does not happen that commonly. After the chopper has sustained enough engine damage, the engine cuts out, leaving the player to glide, but upon impact the player loses health.

Weather
The weather has a noticeable affect on helicopters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto IV. In windy or rainy conditions helicopters will bank and sway in the direction of the wind, which makes flying at low altitudes dangerous. Players can avoid impacts with buildings and trees by having a high altitude, where there is plenty of room to maneuver back into position.

Usage as a weapon
Helicopters can be used as a weapon. Since GTA III, police helicopters will shoot from their helicopters at the player if the player receives a wanted level of three or more, with the exception of GTA IV where actual police officers will shoot from the helicopters instead.

Mounted weapons may be available on certain models, including the Sea Sparrow, Hunter, Annihilator and Buzzard. From GTA III to GTA Vice City Stories, mounted guns can auto-aim at targets to a certain extent while rockets need to be aimed by the player. Since GTA IV, mounted guns can no longer auto-aim and has to be manually aimed.

The main blades of the helicopter can be used to instantly kill any people. Until GTA IV, players cannot kill themselves using the blades their own helicopters or police helicopters. Kills using the blades of the helicopter does not warrant the player attention from the police. GTA IV introduced additional damage with the blades by being able to collide with vehicles and throwing them around.

Trivia

 * In the original PS2 version of GTA Vice City, entering a Pay 'n' Spray in a helicopter will result in the helicopter acquiring wheels.
 * In GTA Vice City, shooting at certain places on the skids will make a pop sound, as if shooting out a cars tire.
 * Also in Vice City, when the "invisible cars" cheat is enabled, the helicopter will appear with a set of wheels, just like all other vehicles. In this case, the wheels are generic car wheels.
 * Again in Vice City, there is a second variant of the Police Maverick (internally named "chopper", the normal variant is named "polmav") which is flown by the police. When spawned, however, it is invisible. As it is technically a remote-controlled vehicle, entering it will crash the game. Even if it is controlled, it has no acceleration and is therefore useless.
 * In GTA IV, when you have a three star wanted level, if you can shoot the chopper pilot while the chopper is over water causing it to crash into the water, it will remain there and no other choppers will appear until you leave the area (tested on PC and Xbox version).