Vice City Helicopter FAQ: I. Version I, completed 11/16/02 by ChiroVette@aol.com A. Finding what you need: This is a moderately long guide so I would suggest that you skim through it to get what you need rather than feel as if you have to read the entire thing. B. Email policy: Feel free to email me any time you wish if you have any questions about this FAQ/Guide, or for that matter any other GTA related questions. C. Permission to post this guide: So far the only places this guide is posted on is: 1. ViceCityPinkPole.com 2. Neoseeker.com Please show a little common courtesy. If you wish to post this guide on your site, all I ask in return is that you email me for permission and post the guide "whole" or at least to whatever extent your site will allow you to, and that you give me the credit. Basically all I want is to not have someone reproduce my work and claim it is their own. Other than that I am not going to go picking and choosing who can and cannot post this work. Also if you email me for permission I will upload you the file in its original form with bold underlined and hyperlinked text. II. Maverick: Colors: Comes in random color schemes, two-tone, usually white and another color. Main features: Durable Chopper, not the fastest Helicopter but by no means slow transportation either! Has a radio so you can listen to tunes while flying. Unlocked: *After completion of the Diaz Mission, "Phnom Penh '86" Location: 2 locations. 1. Rooftop Helipad of Hyman Condo in Downtown. 2. Rooftop Helipad of Vercetti Mansion (or Diaz's mansion, depending upon where in the storyline you are) * You need to purchase the Hyman Condo to have access to that Helicopter and you need to take over the mansion to have access to that rooftop! Directions: 1. For Vercetti/Diaz mansion, follow the "V" or "D" on the radar to Starfish Island and take the staircase indoors on either side of your mansion all the way to the rooftop helipad. 2. For Hyman Condo, just go to the Save point of your Condo, which is East of the Stadium. III. VCN Maverick: Colors: Two-tone, Blue and white with "Eight Ten VCN" written on the sides in blue. Main Features: Definitely the fastest of the three Mavericks, probably the speediest Helicopter aside from the Hunter! VCN is Vice City News so this is a News Chopper. No radio, only a police scanner. Unlocked: After completion of the Diaz Mission, "Phnom Penh '86" Location: Rooftop Helipad of VCN building Directions: From Vice Point, take the road that goes West through Leaf Links into Downtown. Just before the green sign that says "You are now entering Mainland Downtown" you will notice that the guardrail on the right of the road ends. The entrance to the building is just north and east of the gate's end, on the sidewalk. It is on the Southeast part of the VCN building. Look for an open door, which is your rooftop access (similar to Hyman Condos). As with all helicopters on roofs, you can also access this with another aircraft by landing on the roof. IV. Police Maverick: Colors: Two-tone, green and white, VCP in white letters on the rear and a police insignia on the front sides. Main features: Durable Chopper but surprisingly slow compared to VCN Maverick as well as strangely not equipped with any guns. Interesting considering this is a police chopper. No radio of course, only a police scanner. Unlocked: After completion of the Diaz Mission, "Phnom Penh '86" Location: Rooftop Helipad on top of Vice City Police Department in Downtown. Directions: 1/2 of a block East of Downtown Fire Department; Just a few blocks southwest of VCN building. Just northeast of your "Skumole Shack" Save point. This should allow you to zero in on its exact position. From your Skumole Shack on the main road make a left then your first (almost immediate) left, heading west. There is an alleyway on the right side of the street, not too far west. Go into the alley and look for the steps, they will be on your left side. Go up the steps all the way to the roof and the Helipad is right there. V. Sea Sparrow: Colors: Metallic Silver with two floatation devices on each side of the chopper. Main Features: Very maneuverable, the only Helicopter that can float and land on water and has unlimited rounds of forward firing Machine Guns! You can listen to all Vice City Radio Stations. Unlocked: Find 80 Hidden Packages to unlock this little gem! Location: In the backyard, just above ground level, of Vercetti Mansion. Go to the backyard (not a helipad) and you will see the Sea Sparrow by the pool just above ground level, but below the rooftop helipad. Note: You do NOT need to have killed Diaz to get this Helicopter. You can access the backyard of the mansion any time you have access to Starfish Island and get the chopper as long as you have collected 80 packages. VI. Sparrow: Colors: Silver. Looks very similar to the Sea Sparrow only there are no flotation devices so don't try landing on the water with this Whirly! Main Features: Getting into one of these when found in their 4 locations throughout Vice City initiates their respective "Chopper Checkpoint races". Regular Vice City Radio Stations, but unlike the Sea Sparrow, no guns on this model. *If you just want the bird without the mission then simply exit the Helicopter and get back in. This will cancel the mission and you will not be penalized in your stats for a "mission attempt". Unlocked: Except for the Downtown Sparrow, they all spawn after the Vercetti mission, "Rubout". The Downtown Checkpoint Race becomes available after "G-Spotlight" Locations: 1. Downtown: On top of the northern part of the building, the first one you go to in "G-Spotlight". It is the same lower roof you pass atop the outside staircase when you go in to get the hidden package (number 62) behind the desk. You simply mount the stairs on the southeast part of the building with green windows. Note: If you have any trouble finding this helicopter then just know that it is exactly one building northeast of the VCPD Helicopter location. In fact, if you are standing on the VCPD Helipad you can see the see Sparrow it's roof, just a little lower and to the northeast. 2. Little Haiti: On top of the roof of "Riverside Pavillion, Oriental Food Take-Away" just south of a midair police bribe. You can use that the alley ramp to jump the containers and get to the roof with this Sparrow or you can just fly to it with another aircraft. The roof has a dingy looking, brown Billboard on it that says "Move Over Miami". It is just across from the roof that has the Billboard tat says "Life is a Beach" (with the "ea" crossed out and an "I" spray-painted in its place). The roof with the Sparrow is located just east of Kaufman Cabs. 3. Vice Point: This chopper is located in a backyard surrounded by grass and trees, semi disguising it. The easiest way to get there is to go just east of the "tape icon" at your Links View Condo. Go into that alley and make the first alleyway right into the yard with the Helicopter in it. It is on the grass so you don't have to fly or jump to it. If for some reason you don't own the Links View Apartments Condo then shame on you...well not really, the yard that the Chopper is in can be found just southeast of the Vice Point, Pay 'N' Spray. 4. Ocean Beach: This one is located just on top of the roof that you land on to complete Unique Jump #32. Aside from flying another bird to it, that is the only way I know of to access it. If you don't recall the jump it is the white stairs on that building that looks like it is on 4 stilts, just behind (or east of it if you prefer nautical direction) the Ocean Beach Pay 'n' Spray. VII. Hunter/Apache: Color: camouflage green and just plain MEAN looking! :) Main Features: Incredibly fast, durable, maneuverable and handles like a dream! Features a powerful and unlimited machine gun that fires straight ahead as well as missiles! And if that isn't enough, you also get all your Vice City Radio stations! This is the only Vehicle with which you can access "Brown Thunder" missions, which is really just Vigilante missions in the Hunter. Okay drool over. Unlocked: You unlock this Beast by either finding all 100 hidden packages or completing the main storyline missions. Location: 1. Fort Baxter army base north of Escobar Airport. It is in the northern section of the base and can be difficult to get because there is no access to that part of the base from the ground so you basically have to fly in. No biggie except the Army not only takes exception to your presence but pretty much shoots you on site whenever you get anywhere near the base, and that includes flying over it! Best thing to do is to beat the Versetti mission, "Copland" which gives you access to the police uniform clothes change, which you can get in the locker room of the Washington Beach Police Precinct. Now the Army will allow you to land a chopper in and Jack the Hunter...aren't they sweet? If you don't have access to the Police uniform you can very carefully fly a helicopter into the base and bail out midair, somehow landing just to the right of the Hunter. Get in quickly and if you are unseen you can get away unscathed. 2. Southern House in Ocean Beach on the helipad. The house isn't so visible but if you go to the southern tip of Ocean beast, just a little to the west, right before the water you will see the house with the helipad. Now there was some confusion on this originally, but it has been confirmed you can also get the Hunter in Ocean Beach on the helipad of the same house where you found Hidden package #3! The only thing is that in order to get the Hunter/Apache in the Ocean Beach location you have to both complete the storyline missions AND acquire all 100 hidden packages. VIII. Helicopter Controls: X: accelerates the rotor and causes you to go higher and/or faster depending upon whether you are using directional controls. Square: Slows the rotor and causes descent of the chopper. Use this to land. R2: Rotates Helicopter to the right L2: Rotates Helicopter to the left Left Analog stick or D-Pad: causes leaning of chopper in the direction you push the stick or pad. Pushing forward (up on D Pad) causes the chopper to lean forward and in conjunction with "X" causes forward acceleration. Pulling back (down on D-Pad) causes the chopper to raise its nose and slow down/reverse or stop and hover. Left makes the chopper lean left and right makes it lean right. This can be used to subtly change direction as you lean into a direction rather than pressing R2 or L2. Right analog stick: You can use this for finer directional control, instead of R2 and L2 R1: Fires unlimited machine guns forward (Only on Sea Sparrow and Hunter) O: Fires missiles (Only on Hunter) R3: Only on the Hunter/Apache. Toggles "Brown Thunder" Vigilante missions...need I say more? IX. Flying Tips: to land softer I have found that after pressing "Square" I can tap x lightly and alternate hitting the "Square" for a softer landing. Experiment with this for yourself. Also, when flying, if you want to maximize forward velocity, push the analog stick as far forward as the chopper can take, without the nose pointing straight down. Depending upon the chopper's top speed and acceleration you will have to experiment with how far forward you need to push the analog stick or how hard you press on the D-Pad to maximize speed without turning the chopper "ass over tea kettle" or crash landing. You will see for yourself after a few flights, how fast you can go with a given chopper. X. Spawning problems: Sometimes you will find the Choppers are NOT where they are supposed to be, particularly the regular Maverick. It doesn't help to reload the save. The best thing to do if it is missing is to drive around the block and come back and it should be on the helipad! Saving Helicopters: There are no Helicopter garages so you cannot save Helicopters! However they do spawn in their respective locations. I have forced choppers into my larger garages but it is VERY hard to get them out and they end up very damaged and just ready to blow up. Yes it can be done, but ask yourself if it is worth the effort when they all re-spawn! XI. Acknowledgements: GTA, Grand Theft Auto and Vice City are all owned by Rockstar/DMA and any use of these terms here is with the utmost acknowledgement and respect for any and all copyright laws applicable in this case. Any other patentable phrases such as "Brown Thunder", etc which is detailed in context with the game itself should also be considered as trademark material.