Skylift

The HVY Skylift is a very large heavy-lift helicopter featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony and Grand Theft Auto V. 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. It reappears in GTA V, featured in the preparation for the final heist when you have to steal a train and flatbed car. It does not spawn outside of this mission, and the magnet becomes unusable afterward.

The Ballad of Gay Tony
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').

GTA V
The Skylift returns in GTA V bearing its appearance from GTA IV. It makes an appearance in the mission Sidetracked, where Trevor uses it to pick up train carriages to use in the obvious aproach of The Big Score. The electromagnet mounted on it, unlike its predecessor, can be used by pressing right on the d-pad, with behavior similar to the hook on the Cargobob. After completion of the mission, the magnet cannot be used further, and the helicopter can't be saved at Trevor's helipad, likely due to its size.

The Skylift also appears in the Maze Bank Tower base jump where it transports a motorcyle to the top for the player to ride on for the jump. It is unobtainable by normal means, like shooting the pilot out of the helicopter as weapons are disabled for the jump.

The Ballad of Gay Tony

 * Featured in the missions Caught with your Pants Down and For the Man Who Has Everything.

GTA V

 * Featured during preparation for the final heist (where you pick up a train carriage to use to escape the cops).

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 saw the Skylift that he wanted it. It's possible he did steal this Skylift for when Luis steals the Subway Cart during For The Man Who Has Everything.
 * Beta model features "LC2-K" written near the cab. Actual model only features "LC2".
 * 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.
 * Due to a 2012 patch by Rockstar, the Skylift can no longer be obtainable in the mission For the Man Who Has Everything on the PS3 version of the game, the only way to get the helicopter on the PS3 is in the mission Caught with your Pants Down.
 * The Skylift, along with the Cargobob are the only helicopters in the series that can carry vehicles, with the exception of the Leviathan that is used to carry an armored van.

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