Helicopter

n/a

Helicopter
System(s): Electro-mechanical arcade
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 196x ¥? ? US 1968-07 $? ? ES 19xx ? ?

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Helicopter (ヘリコプター) is a July 1968 10-cent electro-mechanical arcade game. It is a helicopter simulation. Two similar games were Midway's Whirly Bird (1969) and Amusement Engineering's Helicopter Trainer (1968), with Sega's Helicopter thought to predate them both.

Gameplay

Players fly a helicopter around circle. The helicopter is attached to a rod that pivots on top of a center pylon and a counter weight helps lift the helicopter. Player controls the helicopter's pitch and speed. The object of the game is to fly the helicopter so it touch one of seven stationary pins (located around the edges of the helicopter's circle of rotation) with the helicopter's two pring "whiskers". The stationary pin to touch is identified by a light. After touching one stationary pin, another stationary pin is lit. When the correct pin is hit, points are scored. There is a set amount of time per game. The more targets hit, the higher the score.

Sega's Helicopter uses an 8-track tape for background sound for the helicopter engine and rotor sound effects. The speed of the tape player changes to roughly correspond to the throttle setting of the model helicopter, so the sound gets faster as the helicopter goes faster.

Specifications

Dimensions

876.3 mm (34.5")

1.778 m (70")

1.016 m (40")

Promotional material

US flyer

ES flyer

Print advert in Billboard (US) #1968-07-27: "July 27, 1968" (1968-07-27)

Photo gallery

• 

  Helicopter playfield

Physical scans

ES
Manual

External references

• Footage of an exhibition of amusement equipment at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London in 1968 showing Helicopter running