A look at airplanes and blimps through the GTA series. I'm not including RC vehicles. To start off, there are passenger planes that take off, land, fly around, and are stationary at airports in every main game except I, II, and SA, in which you could buy tickets to fly to the other cities of SA. They are unpilotable and cannot be destroyed. In SA, random planes would sometimes be seen flying overhead, and could crash into buildings and fall out of the sky. In some games, the Dodo can be seen flying around with a banner. In some missions you enter unpilotable planes, like in the mission Departure Time in TBOGT when you enter Ray's Ghawar.
GTAIII
The Dodo in III was the first plane to appear in the series. Its wings are sawed in half, making it hard to fly, since it was programmed to be unflyable. It is based on a Cessna 150 or 152. The Dodo is always red and white. There are two in hangers at Francis International Airport and another at the beginning of the runway near the helicopters. The way you fly it is accelerating down a long, flat surface, like the runway, while holding down the stick or button to make the Dodo pitch towards the ground, making it stay on the ground. Once you see sparks, you release the stick or button and level out the plane as it goes into the air. You will have to keep it leveled out while you fly and be careful when turning.
GTAVC
The Skimmer is the only pilotable plane in VC. It is a seaplane that is a full-winged Dodo with two pontoons where the landing gear usually is. It is slow and not very versatile. The Skimmer doesn't have any doors, so you just warp inside and out, and comes in a few different colors. One can be found at a dock next to InterGlobal Films Studio.
The first blimp in the series appears in Vice City, and is unpilotable and unreachable. It is a GASH blimp, with a white body, red fins, a red nose, and a gondola on the bottom. It floats above Downtown Vice City on a set path.
GTASA
The Hydra in SA is a VTOL jet fighter based on the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II with the air intake of the Lockheed F-16.
The Hydra is equipped with two Sidewinder missiles, one on each wing, though the amount of missiles you shoot is unlimited. You can lock onto other vehicles and fire at them. There are airplane antennas found around the plane. It is always gray, with USAF roundels on the top and bottom of the wings.
You can change the direction of four jet outlets to make the plane hover or speed forward. You can also deploy a flare to redirect lock-on missiles coming towards you. It is very fast and agile.
It can be found at the Naval Station on the aircraft carrier, at Verdant Meadows, in Ganton after getting %100, and in Area 69. One and then two come after you as your wanted level increases after four stars.
The Shamal is a business jet in SA based on the Learjet 55 and 60 with good handling and fast speed. You go inside it in the mission "Freefall". There are airplane antennas on the top and bottom (the little fin). It always appears white. One is found at LS Airport, three at Easter Bay Airport, and two at LV Airport.
The Beagle is a slow dual prop airplane based on the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander. It turns fast but has average handling. It is found at Easter Bay International Airport. It comes in various colors.
The Cropduster is an average performing plane in SA. It is slow, but can turn fast for a slow plane despite having little endurance. It is based on the Grumman Ag Cat Cropduster, and is found near Hunter Quarry and on top of a hill between Foster Valley and The Farm. The Cropduster usually comes in red or gray.
Pesticide can sprayed, but doesn't cause harm to anyone or really do anything.
The Rustler is a WWII fighter based on WWII fighter planes, like the Spitfire, Mustang, and Warhawk. It has machine guns on its wings, but they can be hard to aim. It has a good top speed and is versatile, but stalls if you go straight up into the air, which other prop planes do. It can be found at either Verdant Meadows or Easter Bay Airport after certain missions.
The Skimmer in SA is like VC's, but with a reinforced connection to the pontoons and stabilizers. It also has doors and four propeller blades. It flies like the Dodo in SA, being slow but a bit maneuverable. It is found near the Sherman Dam, the Bayside Marina, and near Valle Ocultado.
The Stuntplane is an airplane in SA based on the Pitt's Special S-1. It is very maneuverable and has an average speed. It is good for doing tricks, but you have to be careful sometimes since the controls are very sensitive. If you press a certain button a trail of red smoke will appear behind it. It can be found at Verdant Meadows after getting silver in Flight School.
The Dodo in SA has full wings, unlike III's, and is based on the same plane. It is slow but maneuverable. It flies much better than III's as well because of its non-sawn off wings. It is found in all three airports.
The Nevada is a dual prop passenger plane in SA. It is based on the DC-3. The words "Juank Air" are on the side. It is an average performing plane. The Nevada is found at Easter Bay International Airport.
The AT-400 is a jet airliner in SA based on the Boeing 737-400. It has two engines, and is the plane you are in when you fly to a different city after buying tickets. It is found in a hanger at LV airport.
It has sluggish controls, but can still be used for tricks and can reach high speeds. The AT-400 is the largest officially pilotable vehicle in the series so far, though that may change when V comes out.
The Andromada is a transport plane based on the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and the C-5 Galaxy. Though it may look bigger than the AT-400, it is in fact smaller. It has four engines.
It can be seen flying in the air sometimes, and appears in the mission "Stowaway". The only way to get it without mods and be able to fly it is to blow it up during the mission while its on the desert runway and to push it into the hanger. If you are able to fly it, it handles similarly to the AT-400 but is slower.
The inside of the Andromada is entered in "Stowaway", and consists of cargo areas, cargo boxes, and shelves.
GTAVCS
The Biplane from VCS is based on the Pitts Special. It is kind of hard to steer, but has a good top speed. It can be found around Escobar International Airport.
GTAV
The Hydra, or what looks to be the Hydra, returns in V. It is based on the AV-8B Harrier II and the F-35B. There are two air intakes, one on each side.
A picture of the Hydra was seen in Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, along with a few other planes.
The landing gear looks like SA's, and the VTOL jets are present, though it has a single fighter jet engine this time as well
Another view. It has three missiles on each wing this time. It looks fast and agile.
An unnamed Fighter Jet has also been seen alongside the Hydra. It looks based on the F-16E and F/A-18.
It is equipped with three missiles on each wing and looks fast and agile.
It has numerous airplane antennas on it and a double air intake on the bottom. There are two drop tanks or conformal fuel tanks on it, one on each wing.
A plane that may be the Dodo has been seen, and may be based on the Cessna 172. It has multiple antennas on top, and will come in a variety of colors.
The Cuban 800 is a dual prop plane in V based on the Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche mixed with the PA-23 Aztec, Cessna 310, and Beech-56 Baron.
The words "Cuban 800" are seen on the vertical stabilizer. There are airplane antennas on top.
The Cropduster returns and is based on the Boeing-Stearman Model 75. You will be able to spray pesticide again, and it will affect people this time.
What may be the Skimmer is seen in the first trailer. It may be based on the Cessna 150 with pontoons.
The Stuntplane will return in V and will be flown in trials and races. It looks based on the Extra EA-300.
It will probably be fast and versatile.
The Stuntplane will come in a variety of colors and designs.
An unknown plane is seen in one screenshot. It may be based on the Piper PA-46 Malibu.
The Shamal will return in V, and is based on the Learjet 45.
It looks to be fast, and is seen with a burning engine in two other screenshots.
It will come in a variety of colors this time.
It can be bought for $1,150,000 on the Elitas Travel website. In the background, you can see other planes with lower horizontal stabilizers. Their names are unknown, though the name Luxor has been used to refer to them.
The Fighter Jet is seen here escorting a cargo plane that may be the new Andromada.
What may also be the Andromada is seen here with its ramp open. It looks to be based on a mix of the Antonov An-124 Ruslan and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. In trailer 2, we see Trevor drive out of the cargo hold of one.
A large passenger plane is seen in the Online trailer. Whether it is pilotable or not is unknown.
Another passenger plane is seen in the online trailer. it is similar to the AT-400.
The planes in the Online trailer were seen in Michael's trailer. It looks like there will be multiple paint jobs.
More are seen here, and you can see what looks like the small one with a different paint job in front and the large one in back.
The Titan is a large, possibly pilotable cargo plane in V.
It is based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
Another view. It can be seen, like the Hydra, in one of the MP3 MP pictures.
The Atomic Blimp will be the first pilotable blimp in the series, and is based on the Goodyear GZ-20.