Helicopter

Helicopter is an aerial transport in the series.

SimCity 2000

If a city from SimCity 2000 has heavy traffic, a helicopter may appear and say "This is SimCopter one, reporting heavy traffic." to inform the mayor about the situation. If the centering tool is used on the helicopter, the copter will lose control and crash, starting a small fire, and the event will be reported in the news.

SimCity 4

Main article: List of U-Drive It missions

Four helicopters are available in the U-Drive It missions in SimCity 4: News Helicopter, Medical Helicopter, Police Helicopter, and Military Helicopter.

SimCopter

SimCopter has nine helicopter available to the pilot, who starts with a Schweizer. Eight of them can be purchased and sold inside the hangar, and one is secret.

Helicopters

Name	Details	Description	Value	Notes
Schweizer 300	History: Originally the Hughes 300. First Flight as 300C: 1969. Specialties: Training and utility. Also for agricultural spraying.	Engine: Single Textron Piston Empty Weight: 500 kg/1100 lbs. Capacity: 430 kg/950 lbs. Seating: 2 passengers Speed: 150 km/h/80 kt	3400	The player starts with this helicopter.
Bell 206 JetRanger	History: Originally designed for the US Army. First Flight as JetRanger III> 1977. Specialties: Light utility and news station. Smaller version of LongRanger.	Engine: Single Allison Turboshaft Empty Weight: 750 kg/1650 lbs. Capacity: 700kg/1550 lbs. Seating: 4 passengers Speed: 220 km/h/120 kt	7800
MD 500	History: Also known as the Hughes 500 First Flight of MD500E: 1982. Specialties: One of the most successful ever. Military/commercial/medical uses.	Engine: Single Allison Turboshaft Empty Weight: 670 kg/1500 lbs. Capacity: 690 kg/1500 lbs. Seating: 4 passengers Speed: 230 km/h/125 kt	8800
MD 520N	History: First NOTAR helicopter. First Flight: 1990. Specialties: Light utility uses. Quietest helicopter in the world.	Engine: Single Allison Turboshaft Empty Weight: 720 kg/1600 lbs. Capacity: 800 kg/1750 lbs. Seating: 4 passengers Speed: 240 km/h/130 kt	11000
Bell 212	History: Twin engine derivative of Bell 204/205. First Flight: 1969. Specialties: Commerical: Search and rescue. Military: Utility, assault and rescue.	Engine: Twin Turbine Empty Weight: 2800 kg/6300 lbs. Capacity: 2200 kg/4900 lbs. Seating: 14 passengers Speed: 185 km/h/100kt	13500	Commercial was written as commerical in the helicopter's details. One Bell 212 helicopter can be seen inside the player's hangar, alongside a Grumman American AA-1 airplane and a classic automobile.
Agusta A 109A	History: First Flight: 1971. Upgraded to A 109A MkII in 1981. Specialties: Utility and corporate use. Retractable wheeled undercarriage.	Engine: Twin Turbine. Empty Weight: 1600 kg/3000 lbs. Capacity: 1100 kg/2500 lbs. Seating: 7 passengers Speed: 280 km/h/150 kt	16500	Misnamed as "Augusta" in the tabs from the hangar's helicopter catalog.
Dauphin 2	History: Twin engine derivative of Dauphin. First Flight: 1975. Specialties: Wide range of uses, from rescue to military.	Engine: Two Turboméca Turboshafts Empty Weight: 2300 kg/5000 lbs. Capacity: 2000 kg/4350 lbs. Seating: 13 passengers Speed: 280 km/h/150 kt	18500
MD Explorer	History: First new helicopter in 1990s. First Flight: 1992. Specialties: Executive and utility. Quiet NOTAR performance.	Engine: Two PW206A Turboshafts Empty Weight: 1500 kg/3300 lbs. Capacity: 1200 kg/2600 lbs. Seating: 7 passengers Speed: 275 km/h/150 kt	20500
Apache	No info available			The Apache cannot be purchased or sold in the hangar, only found in cities with F-15b aircrafts, where the one closest to the northwest will be replaced by this helicopter. It is fast and is equipped with a machine gun (space bar) and missile launcher (M key), but cannot use the Water Cannon and has no room for passengers.

Upgrades

Except for the Apache, all helicopters can be equipped with the following upgrades in the hangar. The player starts with the Bambi Bucket and Megaphone. Each upgrade appears on the side of the screen and can be used by clicking on their buttons or with hotkeys.

Name	Descrition	Value	Notes
Bambi Bucket	No one seems to know why it's called this. Used for dropping water on fires. Refilled by dropping it into any convenient open water source.	375	The bucket must be lowered (Hotkey: C) to be used, and can be raised (V) to be retrieved. After collecting water, it can be dumped (B) while the bucket is outside the helicopter. The helicopter will not be able to land with the bucket under it, so it needs to be retrieved first. The more water carried, the heavier the helicopter will be, affecting the performance.
Water Cannon	Basically a giant squirt gun. Eliminates need to fly directly over fires. You'll need the bucket for refills. The high pressure causes significant recoil.	1500	Can also be used to wash cars, earning the pilot a small amount of money. Hotkey: Space bar.
Megaphone	Allows you to communicate with people and cars below. Useful in emergency, traffic and law enforcement missions. Effective range: 300 meters.	375	Adds five options: Report Traffic (Hotkey: F6, used for traffic jams), Stop Criminal (F7, for criminal and speeder missions), Evacuate (F8, for evacuations), Disperse (F9, for riots), and Greet (F10, has a chance of causing an accident).
Rescue Harness	Used for picking up people in emergency situations. When you need to rescue people and you can't land then the rescue harness is the right tool for the job.	800	Functions like the bucket, but is used to take an injured person instead. Hotkeys: F and G.
Tear Gas Launcher	For law enforcement use only. Useful for when your citizens get out of line. Holds ten canisters in delightful non-toxic and biodegradable forms.	2500	Mainly used for dispersing riots, but can also be used on criminals. Should only be used as a last resort, as improper use results in penalties, only being recommended after dispersing as many people as possible from a riot. Up to ten can be carried, with replacements being obtained during maintenances.