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A GUIDE TO HELICOPTERS IN CINEMA & TELEVISION |
| FLIGHT LOGS: | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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By something like popular demand, here's my pick of the very best rotary action films and TV shows. As a keen fan of science fiction, this listing is clearly biased in favour of genre works... Blue Thunder Look no further... with its machine-as-protagonist storyline, this is simply the greatest helicopter action movie ever made! Airwolf Surprisingly entertaining rotary action, even today, this mid-1980s' series was far superior to Blue Thunder's own TV spinoff. Apocalypse Now The best war film ever made features epic cinema's finest rotary action sequence of air supremacy. Hulk Sci-fi action with a monster as the hero, this instant classic is a showcase for Comanche gunships... even if they do get smashed! Wings Of The Apache (aka: Fire Birds) The most under-rated helicopters movie, this has many impressive rotary action sequences with lots of military choppers. Black Hawk Down Great acting and superb drama in Ridley Scott's film enhances the impact of its various helicopters in combat sequences. Birds Of Prey An aerial chase thriller from the 1970s, this highly original and radical TV movie remains influential even today. Deadly Encounter Quite unforgettable (and the subject of many questions emailed to Rotary Action), this re-defined helicopter thrillers for the 1980s. Rambo III Whatever its technical faults (mainly those fake Hind gunships), this remains a very good movie for displays of rotary action. Whirlybirds The show that started it all... this got me interested in helicopters when I first saw it on TV, almost a lifetime ago. Of course, the big problem with helicopter scenes in blockbuster movies, nowadays, is that so many aerial stunts are faked with CGI. And that's one reason why I have been watching more documentary films and programmes, lately... to get a proper heli-fix of genuine rotary action! - Tony Lee
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Apparently out of control or damaged, a helicopter flies over a hill, or behind a landmark. Once it's out of view, there's a huge explosion to
suggest the aircraft has crashed. Few movies have the budget to afford model effects, or write-off even a mock-up helicopter.
The escaping hero and sidekick or partner climb aboard an unattended helicopter. One asks the other "Can you fly this thing?""No... but hang on!" comes the reply, and then the machine performs a decidedly wobbly takeoff.
In pursuit of a road vehicle, the hero - or his stuntman, at least - jumps down from a low-flying helicopter onto or into the wildly swerving
vehicle as it races along a conveniently deserted highway.
A helicopter is forced to make an emergency landing on the roof of a building and it promptly crashes through the ceiling into a crowded room.
At night time, helicopters flying in the distance (especially military machines) are often mistaken for UFOs.
In the movies, a stolen helicopter only ever carries two minutes of aviation fuel. In such incidents, the hero has to perform a dangerous
emergency landing - a survivable technique called autorotation - while any machine piloted by a villain invariably blows up (see item number
one)... The moral of this is, of course - never get into a helicopter with an action movie bad guy!
By far the most used and/ or abused rotorcraft cliché in movies and TV is the sound effect of a helicopter passing 'overhead', without
a chopper ever being visible on-screen. In stereo, it 'travels' from one side/ speaker(s) to the other, accentuating the Doppler effect - a
particular audio trick notable in those Dolby adverts featuring a computer-animated helicopter.
- Tony Lee
A shorter version 1st published in fanzine ALTERNATIES #20, 1994
If you see any film or TV helicopter stunts, not already
listed on this site, please contact me with details. I'm also interested in more pictures of helicopters from movies and TV shows, for use on this site. Subscribe to the Rotary Action newsletter mailing list. EXTRAS: Search | Gallery | History | Amazon UK | Links.
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Thanks to ROTARY ACTION contributors -
Jenni Allen (Flying Pictures),
Bernd Biege,
Captain Jean Bizot,
Derek Blake,
Richard Bowden,
Jeremy Braben,
Jim Burlingame,
Wes Carr,
Mark Caswell,
Jamie Chalkley (Eastern Atlantic Helicopters),
Patrick Christine,
Brian Cooper,
Steve Covington,
James D'Angina, Nathan Decker,
Dan Demeter,
Craig Dyer (Blackstar Helicopters),
Andreas Eberhardt,
Ruth Ferguson,
Jason Firestorm,
Frame Bruce Fletcher,
Jim Fowler,
Ian Vincent Frain - BSc AMRAeS,
Javier 'Topper' Franco,
John C. Goble,
Todd Goetz,
Louis Gonzalez,
Shaun J. Greaney,
Martin Gula (Flex, MiG-29),
Carsten Hagen,
Jesse Hamm,
Steven Hampton,
Amy Harlib,
Greg Harrison,
J.C. Hartley,
Wesley Haworth,
Bill Hiers,
Joe Hinson,
Andrew Hughes,
Paul Jackson (Sikorsky),
JLH,
Chris Johnston,
Jonathon Lance,
Stephen Lee,
Winnie Leung,
Tony Lowry (Biggin Hill),
Kevin Lyons,
Roger Matthysen,
Jonathan McCalmont,
Brian McIntyre,
John Moore,
Donald Morefield,
James Moors,
Corey Mugaas,
Joel Nelsen (CPL Rotorcraft),
Mike Pepper (Enigma),
Robin Petgrave (Celebrity Helicopters),
Daryl Privette,
Sergeant Ruben 'Radar' Rodriguez (patrol division/ tactical flight officer, Nueces County Sheriff's Department),
Trevor Rose (IHP Worldwide),
José M. Rubio (Eurocopter España),
Joe Russell,
Andy and Arlene Sidaris (Malibu Bay Films),
Jim Snyder,
Steve Stafford (Studio Wings),
Lance Strumpf,
Dan Sweet (Columbia Helicopters),
Justin Travis,
Costas Tsaganas,
Jared Whittenberg,
Alex Youngs (American Eurocopter),
Alec Zubenko. |
| This is a non-profit fan site, featuring publicity photos and images from various movies - but no copyright infringement is intended. |
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