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Fixed-Wing Aircraft: Difference between revisions
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'''Fixed-wing aircraft''', or '''airplanes''', are aircraft that primarily use wings for lift when in motion and propellers or jet engines for thrust. | '''Fixed-wing aircraft''', or '''airplanes''', are aircraft that primarily use wings for lift when in motion and propellers or jet engines for thrust. | ||
Airplanes were first made available as controllable vehicles with the introduction of the [[Dodo]] in [[Grand Theft Auto III]], which was significantly difficult to fly. Unlike [[helicopter]]s, however, controllable airplanes do not enjoy consistent appearances since GTA III, with [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] featuring only one airplane, [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] featuring up to eleven such aircraft, [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]] featuring none at all with out a third party mod or cheat device, [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]] featuring two airplanes, | Airplanes were first made available as controllable vehicles with the introduction of the [[Dodo]] in [[Grand Theft Auto III]], which was significantly difficult to fly. Unlike [[helicopter]]s, however, controllable airplanes do not enjoy consistent appearances since GTA III, with [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] featuring only one airplane, [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] featuring up to eleven such aircraft, [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]] featuring none at all with out a third party mod or cheat device, [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]] featuring two airplanes, [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] featuring none without mods, and [[Grand Theft Auto V]] featuring 10 (9, if the [[Vestra]] introduced in a later update is not counted, 11 if the [[Cargo Plane]], which is unobtainable outside of a mission, or 12 if the [[Atomic Blimp]] only available to players who pre-ordered the game are counted). | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
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Airplanes are naturally aircraft that rely on their propellers or jet engines for horizontal speed, generating lift using their wings in the process. Controls while on the ground, however, are often heavy and are only effective at low speeds due to their weight and little traction from the landing gears. As such, airplanes often require a stretch of flat surface in order to take off or land, making the presence of airport runways in games they appear in useful in this regard. The only exception to the rule is the [[Hydra]] in GTA San Andreas, which is capable of both conventional and vertical take off, flying, and landing by the simple act of adjusting the direction of its jet thrusters. | Airplanes are naturally aircraft that rely on their propellers or jet engines for horizontal speed, generating lift using their wings in the process. Controls while on the ground, however, are often heavy and are only effective at low speeds due to their weight and little traction from the landing gears. As such, airplanes often require a stretch of flat surface in order to take off or land, making the presence of airport runways in games they appear in useful in this regard. The only exception to the rule is the [[Hydra]] in GTA San Andreas, which is capable of both conventional and vertical take off, flying, and landing by the simple act of adjusting the direction of its jet thrusters. | ||
Since its introduction in GTA III, airplanes possess a wide range of controls | Since its introduction in GTA III, airplanes possess a wide range of controls, including working [[wp:aileron|ailerons]], [[wp:elevator|elevators]] and [[wp:rudder|rudders]], allowing it to [[wp:Flight dynamics|roll, pitch and yaw]], and retractable landing gears in GTA San Andreas and GTA V, which impacts their aerodynamics and speed. In their initial appearances in GTA III and GTA Vice City, certain aerobatic stunts (i.e. barrel rows or loops) are very difficult to execute (likely because the airplanes featured in these games, the [[Dodo]] and [[Skimmer]], are underpowered), a limitation rectified in GTA San Andreas, which allows airplanes to perform said stunts and are even showcased during [[Pilot School|Flying School]], where a number of airplane stunts must be executed by the player. | ||
The size of airplanes vary greatly throughout the series, with the [[Dodo]] and [[Stuntplane]] being the smallest, and the [[AT-400]] and [[Andromada]] being the largest airplanes and aircraft in | The size of airplanes vary greatly throughout the series, with the [[Dodo]] and [[Stuntplane]] being the smallest, and the [[AT-400]] and [[Andromada]] being the largest airplanes and aircraft in the 3D universe, and the [[Jet]] and [[Cargo Plane]] in the HD universe. Airplanes in the series have encompassed [[wp:monoplane|monoplanes]] and [[wp:biplane|biplanes]], as well as [[wp:seaplane|seaplanes]]. | ||
=== Damage === | === Damage === | ||
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GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City Stories includes realism in the damage engine of airplanes by allowing certain portions of an airplane to malfunction and weaken controls or engine power (indicated by smoke and flapping airplane parts) if they lightly hit an object, and programming the aircraft to explode on impact if flown head on to any solid object or water. | GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City Stories includes realism in the damage engine of airplanes by allowing certain portions of an airplane to malfunction and weaken controls or engine power (indicated by smoke and flapping airplane parts) if they lightly hit an object, and programming the aircraft to explode on impact if flown head on to any solid object or water. | ||
GTA V retains the realism of its predecessors, adding the ability for engine power to be completely lost if the engines on an aircraft are completely destroyed, forcing the player to glide to a landing or ditch. Two- or four-engine planes can now be flown on one to three engines if one is damaged, although due to mechanics all engines will then start failing in quick succession. | |||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
* If the player flies over any no-fly zone in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]], such as [[Area 69]], or the [[Easter Basin Naval Station]], heat seeking [[SAM]] missile batteries will open fire at the player. When in an airplane, the player will hear rapid beeping that indicates an incoming missile as a warning; the player will also be able to see the position of missiles on the [[radar]] in relation to the player's current position, allowing the player to respond with evasive maneuvers. | * If the player flies over any no-fly zone in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]], such as [[Area 69]], or the [[Easter Basin Naval Station]], heat seeking [[SAM]] missile batteries will open fire at the player. When in an airplane, the player will hear rapid beeping that indicates an incoming missile as a warning; the player will also be able to see the position of missiles on the [[radar]] in relation to the player's current position, allowing the player to respond with evasive maneuvers. | ||
* Coding exists in [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] that would have allowed the player to fly an airplane, but no pilotable airplane was included in the game. Players can modify the game to enable the ability to fly vehicles like an airplane. | * Coding exists in [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] that would have allowed the player to fly an airplane, but no pilotable airplane was included in the game. Players can modify the game to enable the ability to fly vehicles like an airplane. | ||
* Later GTA III-era games and the GTA IV-universe games add realism to the non player-controlled aircraft (i.e. passenger aircraft) by showing them taking off, landing and taxiing at the various airports. The opportunity to hijack them, however, is not provided. | * Later GTA III-era games and the GTA IV-universe games add realism to the non player-controlled aircraft (i.e. passenger aircraft) by showing them taking off, landing and taxiing at the various airports. The opportunity to hijack them, however, is not provided. The ability to hijack such planes was added to GTA V. | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||