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Template:Infobox vehicles
The Buckingham Swift is a private-executive civilian luxury helicopter featured in The Ballad of Gay Tony and introduced in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online as part of The San Andreas Flight School Update.
Design
The Ballad of Gay Tony
The helicopter is heavily based on the AgustaWestland AW109S Grand, judging by the landing gear arrangements, the slide doors, the four-blade rotor and the tail boom with a strike guard on the back, with some details of the Bell 222, such as the winglets on the tail, vents near the rotor and the shapes on the upper side. The helicopter also takes side engine intake designs from the Bell 430.
In-game, it is considered as a private shuttle helicopter, which is painted in a two-tone paintjob (white and black/dark blue), with the "Santo Capro" livery on it. The vehicle always comes with open side doors, while a closed side doors spawns in a rare occurrence (explained below). It belongs to Yusuf Amir.
Grand Theft Auto V
The GTA V rendition retains its body style as in TBoGT, but it is re-elaborated in terms of details. It now features a retractable landing gear system just like its real-life counterpart, along with working lamps added to the sides. The windscreen is now of a lighter tint to make it more luxurious and side sliding doors can be opened and closed with a unique animation, unlike TBoGT. The retractable landing gear is not very common on helicopters in GTA V adding to the luxurious presence. The helicopter also makes use of marvelous aerodynamics, living up to its name.
Current Design Gallery
Template:Vehicle Design Gallery
Version History Gallery
Performance
The Ballad of Gay Tony
In terms of performance, the Swift is slightly faster and more maneuverable than other large helicopters, such as the Maverick. While it is not as fast and armed as the Annihilator or the Buzzard, the Swift makes up for it with its handling, which proves to be efficient when landing in a hurry, as well as having a decent take off speed.
TBoGT Overview
Take-Off Speed (0-60 knots in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Engine Type | Engine Location | Mass (kg / lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | 99 / 160 / 86 | N/A | N/A | 3800 / 8378 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
N/A | N/A | Twin turboshaft engines, 4-bladed rotor | Middle/Rear | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto V
The Swift is the fastest helicopter available in the game, it is fast and very maneuverable compared to other helicopters such as the Frogger or Buzzard. It is also not particularly resistant, as a hard landing almost always causes the tail to break off. In GTA Online, the vehicle is more intended for speedy travels and executive accomadation than for combat purposes, since its low resistance will be a problem when facing enemies. Overall it has very great performance but you stick to the use of its intended purposes.
GTA V Overview
Take-Off Speed (0-60 knots in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Vertical Climb/ Descent Rate (ft/min) |
Engine Type | Engine Location | Mass (kg / lbs) |
Fuel Tank Size (litres) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | 99 / 160 / 86 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6500 / 14330 | 100 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | Twin engine (Website) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
N/A | N/A | N/A | Twin turboshaft engines, 4-bladed rotor | Middle/Rear | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Variants
Main article: Swift Deluxe
A "Deluxe" version which features a gold paintjob is featured in the new Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update. It distinguishes from the standard variant by having additional features on the interior and the ability for the player to drink champagne and browse the internet via this vehicle.
Locations
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- The Swift is available at the west Algonquin helipad near the West River during the beginning of the game to the end of the game. After the completion of the game, the Gold Buzzard will replace the Swift instead.
Obtaining after game's completion
- Swift with side doors closed
From the "Missions" menu on Luis' phone, choose the mission Caught with your Pants Down and meet Yusuf Amir at Star Junction. Get in his helicopter and fly to any GTA IV/TLAD/TBoGT safehouse and land the helicopter in the parking space. Immediately kill Amir and the player. The mission will fail, spawning Luis at the hospital. The Swift will now be at that current safehouse for you to obtain.
The player can also obtain the Swift with side doors closed by doing the club management mission featuring Bruce Spade. You can either complete the mission and keep the helicopter, or kill Bruce and fly away. Take it to any parking space to save. The player can't, however, redo club missions after they are completed, so it's only available at one point.
- Swift with side doors open
From the "missions" menu on Luis' phone, select the mission ...Blog This! and meet Gay Tony at the helipad. Immediately kill Tony and then The Celebinator (killing The Celebinator first will fail the mission and Tony will fly away). The mission will fail and the player will now have a Swift at your disposal. Save it at any parking space if you want to keep it.
Grand Theft Auto V
- Available on the protagonists' helipads after downloading the DLC. It will spawn either in a Classic black scheme or in a Flying Bravo red/green livery. However, the last one spawns frequently when selected in the helipad.
- Enhanced version only
- A black Swift can be seen taking off at the NOOSE Headquarters on Sustancia Road in Palomino Highlands.
- The Flying Bravo/black variant can be seen landing at Los Santos International Airport.
- Can be bought for $1,600,000 (Classic or Flying Bravo) on ElitasTravel.com.
- A Flying Bravo variant can be seen flying along the coasts of Blaine County, usually near the RON Alternates Wind Farm.
Grand Theft Auto Online
- Can be bought for $1,500,000 (Classic) or $1,600,000 (Flying Bravo) on ElitƔs Travel.
Gallery
Trivia
The Ballad of Gay Tony
- Yusuf Amir's Swift bears a "Santo Capro" livery ("Santo" meaning "Holy" in Italian and Spanish and "Capro" being Italian for "Billygoat") with an emblem resembling a Sea Goat (Capricorn) and the year 1898. The same emblem can be seen on Yusuf's tracksuit jacket that he wears. Combined with the fact that he owns the helicopter, and wears the jacket, Santo Capro might be a company that the Amir estate runs.
- When the blades of the Swift rip apart, they will turn black instead of white and before they rip apart, one blade will be of darker colour and will be twisted. This explains that the "white blades" are actually blades with white color, as part of the entire color scheme.
- This version of the Swift can only hold two people, however in ...Blog This!, Luis, Tony, and The Celebinator all ride in one.
Grand Theft Auto V
- This is the second vehicle to be featured in Episodes From Liberty City that made a return in a GTA V DLC. The first was the Rhapsody which was featured in The Lost and Damned and brought back in the I'm Not a Hipster Update.
- It is the first helicopter featured in a GTA V DLC, being re-introduced in The San Andreas Flight School Update.
- The Swift is the first helicopter to have an undercarriage that can be retracted, similar to planes.
- Players can switch between the two liveries in offline mode. This is done by selecting the Swift (if it isn't already spawned on the character's helipad), selecting another helicopter (and letting it spawn), and switching back to the Swift. Out of 10 attempts, 6 or 7 will be a Flying Bravo Swift.
- The black color scheme might be a reference to Airwolf, as the Swift is very similar in design with a black livery and feels smoother when piloting it with the retracted landing gears.
- The yellow tips on the Swift's main rotors cannot be seen when the blades are spinning, unlike other helicopters.
- The Rockstar Games Social Club image of the Swift shows an unknown paint scheme that does not appear in-game. It consists of a blue paintjob with white stripes on its tail.
See Also
- Maverick - another civilian helicopter appearing in various Grand Theft Auto titles
- Frogger - another civilian helicopter appearing in Grand Theft Auto V.
- SuperVolito and SuperVolito Carbon - two luxury-type helicopter appearing in Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of the GTA Online: Executives and Other Criminals update.
- Swift Deluxe - "Deluxe" version of the vehicle added in the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update.