'Airwolf' - Pilot Trivia Quiz

Answer: Helicopter

Helicopter. A very top secret kind of helicopter. There will be more explanations as we go further into the quiz.

Answer: Dr. Moffit

Dr. Moffit designed and oversaw the building of Airwolf for the CIAesque organization referred to as the FIRM. The project took over 20 years to complete. Zeus was the codename for Archangel's boss in later episodes. Briggs is Archangel's real last name. I had a hard time thinking of a plausible name for the third wrong answer. I finally came up with Dr. Who as one that was at least believable.

Answer: Three

Pilot, electronics engineer (doubling as co-pilot) and weapons engineer. After Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini gain control of it, normally it is just the two of them. The co-pilot seat usually remains vacant or in some cases is used to contain a passenger.

Answer: Libya

Libya offered Dr. Moffit five million dollars for Airwolf. They say everyone has a price. Apparently, $5 million was Dr Moffit's. It also seems far-fetched that Airwolf could fly to Africa. One thing that comes up later in the episode is its midair refueling capability. I guess Moffit had that figured out ahead of time too.

Answer: It could fly faster than sound

Airwolf was borderline sci-fi. Many of the things Airwolf could do, a regular helicopter cannot do, even 20+ years after airing on TV. Even if one somehow mounted jet engines on a helicopter today, the drag would tear the rotors off. Dr. Moffit had apparently solved this problem by establishing a rotor disengage before engaging the turbine booster engines. Even if the main rotor free wheeled, it would probably still tear off.

But this is TV. Going with turbos involved a very complex series of steps from standard rotary wing flight to "turbo" fixed wing flight.

This was later downgraded to a few simple steps in the early episodes to the simple act of String hitting the turbo switch on the cyclic. It should also be noted in the season one episodes that after String called for "Dom, turbos", Dom would move the turbo levers up, String would hit the switch on the cyclic and then String and Dom would (fakely) hit the back of their seats as the G forces increased. Seasons two and three eliminated that. Don't talk to me about season four with Barry van Dyke.

It would be nice if one could make a helicopter not be heard, ala "whisper mode" on "Blue Thunder" or by engaging the mufflers like they did on "Chopper 1". Unfortunately, much of the noise from helicopters is from the displacement of the air created by the main rotor (that whop-whop-whop noise). Of course Airwolf had its own noise, I don't know what to call it. Kind of a cross between a wolf growl and war whoop.

Answer: Archangel

His real name is Michael Coldsmith Briggs III. He always wears white. His vehicles (limo, chopper) are white. He even has his own hit squad that wears white tiger stripe camos (Zebra Squad). He was injured when Dr. Moffit blew up the test range. Archangel now walks with a cane and wears a patch due to losing his left eye. String is offered $1Mil but since that is less than Moffit got, he tells Archangel he wants up to date info on his brother, St. John (pronounced Sinjin) specifically whether he is dead or alive. If dead he wants his remains returned to the US. If alive, he wants to know where he is so he can (supposedly) go get him. Zeus, again, is the name of Archangel's boss in several later episodes.

The other names I made up (as far as I know) although String refers to him as "El Blanco" in a later episode.

Another important detail comes up here that String once flew Airwolf sometime during the project. No other info is given re this. I suspect it was left on the cutting room floor due to time constraints.

Answer: Gabrielle

Marella was Archangel's usual assistant but she was injured (or as Archangel put it, "...on sick leave...") when Moffit destroyed the test range. She (Deborah Pratt) married the show's creator, Donald Bellisario part way through production and does the voice-over at the beginning of Quantum Leap among other things. Blue Star is Archangel's assistant in a later episode called "Blue Star". Angela is the blond operative in Libya posing as a dancer who is discovered to be an agent. Moffit wants her to spend the night with him (I'm trying to be tactful) and is required to go head to head with a Mirage jet for the honor. Gabrielle did a good job of getting String to go along as they became romantically involved. (Of course having the FIRM hold his art collection for ransom also helped.) She replaces Angela in Libya and is also discovered and killed by Moffit.

Answer: Dominic Santini

Sinclair and Gordon were Moffit's co-pilot and weapons engineer. Gordon was never quite on board with Moffit's ideals. There was a Major Mufta Ben-Kamal who was the Libyan who relayed orders from Kadafi (var sp) to Moffit, including going head to head with a French Mirage and blasting a US Destroyer. Dom was close to Strings' father due to their military service together.

He apparently all but adopted String and brother St. John (Sinjin) after their parents were killed in a boating accident. Dom owns Santini Air which provides various air services for movies, including stunt flying. We find out later in the series that Santini Air does a multitude of tasks related to helicopters.

The exterior scenes for Santini Air during the series is actually Van Nuys airport in the San Fernando Valley Northwest of Downtown LA.

This was also the home of Jetcopters Inc, the company that supplied the helicopters and pilots. Many scenes where filmed in the hills North of Van Nuys and the desert area of Lancaster and Palmdale, still further North.

Answer: Blows him and his Libyan vehicle up with all the remaining missiles

Moffit had blown up the destroyer to have the night with Gabrielle. But he finds out she's an agent and takes her to the desert where he has her bake in the sun begging for water. She never tells Moffit what he wants to know and as String approaches in Airwolf, he takes off.

Their attempts to revive Gabrielle fail as she dies in Strings' arms. They then track Moffit down and shoot at least a dozen missiles at him. The shot of Dom running with the emergency water can (looks kind of like a small fuel can) shows up in the opening sequence for season one episodes along with many other scenes from the pilot.

Answer: In a hollow mesa in the desert

Dom found a suitable hiding place in what is supposed to be the nearby desert and takes String there. Many of you probably recognize this area as Monument Valley. Nothing more is shown of what will later become known as the Lair, perhaps another victim of time. I don't know if the production crew knew there would be (rare) snow there or not but it made for a beautiful back drop and they did a lot of pick up shots with Airwolf and the cast that are shown throughout season one.

Despite what Dom said about there being snow almost all the time, the snow had melted by the time (probably within days) they went out to do the shots for season two.

When String returns to his mountain cabin (accessible only by chopper) he finds two surprises. His art and Archangel. Archangel hands over a file. String looks at it and since there is nothing new in it, he refuses to give up Airwolf. Archangel agrees to let String keep Airwolf as long as he continues to fly FIRM missions.

He will also make sure there is a continued supply of armament and fuel.