Airwolf 
(1984) - intro film for TV series starring
Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine as
former military pilots in possession of a stolen US super-helicopter. With its turbo-thrusters,
Airwolf
can exceed mach 1, and it carries atomic bombs (the 'pilot movie' sees Airwolf nuke a
battleship) in addition to the more frequently used anti-aircraft/tank missiles and
built-in machine-guns. Shadowy US security agency 'The Firm', led by white-suited Archangel
(Alex Cord), allowed our two heroes to keep Airwolf in exchange for their expert help flying
secret missions for the government.
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This action show was terrific fun - with its keen sense of humour and plenty of thrilling
airborne espionage on a weekly basis, using a Bell 222A helicopter. 1st class production
values and exemplary aerial photography set new high standards for rotary action on TV.
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The 2nd season added an ex-policewoman pilot (Jean Bruce Scott) to the regular characters,
and she eventually got to fly Airwolf when the hero was injured. My favourites among an
extraordinary variety of flying stunts include Airwolf reaching near orbital altitude to
freeze the virtual villain of Moffet's Ghost out of the onboard computer, Airwolf
versus another super-helicopter in episode HX1, and Airwolf II - which sees
our heroes engage the superior Redwolf helicopter (fitted with a laser cannon) in a
dogfight... but it's piloting skill, and not advanced technology, that wins the day.
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"Airwolf was a Bell 222A, tweaked
with a bunch of bolt-on goodies. Following the end of the TV series, Airwolf was stripped
down, repainted, and sold to Germany as a medevac unit. Later, it was struck by lightning
while rushing a burn patient to hospital, and lost."
- NATHAN DECKER
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Airwolf featured a Bell 206 JetRanger owned by Santini Air, and often used as
a flying taxi whenever the heroes needed to reach the Airwolf helicopter's desert hideaway
in a hurry.
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Andrew Probert (probertdesigns.com)
worked on designs for Airwolf, producing numerous sketches and drawings, and his work on
props, graphics, and storyboards all helped to establish that Airwolf was not simply a gadget
used by the hero to solve problems or fight enemies; the helicopter became a principal character
('The Lady') in this action series.
See below for examples of Airwolf designs, plus a behind-the-scenes photo of
the actual Bell helicopter's remodel and refit work in prep for making the TV series...
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