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Several helicopters are featured in the storyline of Lost.

First freighter helicopter[]

Naomi[]

Naomi was hired by an unknown party to find the Island and to protect a team which would operate on the Island. She said she was given coordinates and launched grid searches by helicopter from a freighter. On the day she reached the Island she had just finished a search and was returning to the ship. At a point 80 nautical miles from the ship, the clouds parted and she saw land. As she approached the island, the instruments on the helicopter malfunctioned. Naomi parachuted out of the helicopter, which crashed into the ocean off the north coast of the Island.

Arrival of first freighter helicopter as seen from the Island[]

The sound of a helicopter approaching the Island was heard at night from the beach area where the cable went into the water. Lights were seen in the distance over the ocean followed by the sound of a helicopter. The sounds eventually changed to those of a slowing engines/rotors or other mechanical difficulty. The direction of the sound descended to the water and was replaced with the sound of something crashing in the ocean but only a very large splash through the surface of the water could be seen.

Naomi, in a flight suit with helmet, tinted flight visor, oxygen mask, and emergency beacon was found hanging by a parachute from a tree in the jungle. Naomi claimed to have traveled to the Island in a helicopter.

Second freighter helicopter[]

4x03 Copter flying

The freighter helicopter taking off.

In response to a message from Jack, a helicopter was launched from the Kahana to the Island. The helicopter, which was suffering from electrical problems due to a lightning strike, reached the general area where Jack and Kate were waiting with the phone. The crew began throwing equipment out. Daniel Faraday was then ordered by Miles to bail out. Afterward Charlotte Lewis and Miles also bailed out while Frank Lapidus brought the helicopter down intact on the Island. ("Confirmed Dead") Later, Frank Lapidus made a deal to take Sayid and Desmond back to the freighter. The three, along with the body of Naomi, left the Island in the helicopter. ("The Economist")

The helicopter was a Bell UH-1B ("Huey"). It had the callsign N842M on its side. ("Confirmed Dead") Curiously in promotional stills for this episode, the callsign only appeared on the left side of the helicopter, but not on the right side as seen from above in its first view.

The helicopter, after flying dangerously through a thunderhead, was put down on one of the two landing pads on the freighter. ("The Constant")

The helicopter left the Kahana once again, piloted by Frank Lapidus. The ship's doctor claimed to not be aware of why Lapidus was taking the helicopter but he did imply it was headed for the Island for an "errand". ("Ji Yeon")

After the helicopter returned, carrying the injured mercenaries, ("Cabin Fever") it was gassed up and after the confrontation with Gault, returned to the Island with the mercenaries again.

After the mercenaries left the helicopter, Sawyer and Jack approached it and tried to help Frank, who Keamy had handcuffed to the chopper, free himself. They then left, leaving Frank with a toolbox to liberate himself with.("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")

Almost immediately after the Mercenaries, with Ben, returned to the helicopter and were surprised to find Frank freeing himself, a shoot out between the Others and the Mercenaries broke out. During this gunfight one bullet pierced the helicopter's fuel tank, although this was not noticed. Frank agreed to transport Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron, and Kate back to the Kahana. However, due to the fuel leak, they began to run out of fuel, and after ejecting as much cargo as they could, Sawyer jumped off to lighten the helicopter so it could return to the Kahana. Once on the flight deck, Lapidus refueled and patched up the damage with duct tape, but almost immediately had to take off again as the freighter was about to explode thanks to Keamy's C-4. With very limited fuel, Jack, Sun, Hurley, Sayid, Aaron, Desmond, Kate, and Lapidus took off shortly before the freighter exploded, and headed back for the Island. Unfortunately for them, before they could reach the Island, the sky turned purple, and the Island disappeared. With fuel running out, Sayid dropped the liferaft into the ocean, everyone braced for impact, the helicopter fell into the ocean, and it immediately sank, with all of its passengers escaping. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

The following is the registration information for the helicopter registered to callsign N842M:

N-number: N842M
Aircraft Serial Number: 61-0763
Aircraft Manufacturer: GARLICK HELICOPTERS INC
Model: UH-1B
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
Model: T53-L-13
Aircraft Year: 1961
Owner Name: ROTORCRAFT SERVICE CENTER LLC
Owner Address: PO BOX 1766, HAMILTON, MT, 59840-1766
Type of Owner: Corporation
Registration Date: 15-Jun-2007
Airworthiness Certificate Type: Restricted
Approved Operations: Agriculture and Pest Control

Claire's helicopter[]

Desmond had a flash of the future, in which he saw Claire and Aaron leave the Island via a helicopter. According to Desmond, this would only happen after Charlie sacrificed himself. (This helicopter was not shown onscreen; it was only mentioned in Desmond's dialogue.) ("Greatest Hits")

Other helicopters[]

  • The police car chase of Hurley in his Camaro was broadcast live by an Action 8 News helicopter. ("The Beginning of the End")
  • Sayid tortured Tariq during the Gulf War to learn the fate of the American pilot of a downed Apache helicopter. Tariq told him that the pilot was executed and buried. A helicopter was also seen flying over a military compound. ("One of Them")

The Lost Experience[]

Trivia[]

  • The callsign N842M on the Bell UH-1B helicopter used in season 4 belongs to a real helicopter. Its last known owner is Garlick Helicopters of Hamilton, Montana [1] [2], although presumably in late 2007 it was based in Hawaii where Lost is filmed.

Unanswered questions[]

Unanswered questions
  1. Do not answer the questions here.
  2. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer.
For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Helicopters/Theories
  • Was there anyone still in Naomi's helicopter when it crashed into the ocean?
  • Why was Naomi's helicopter equipped for high-altitude flying?
  • Why was Naomi 80 nautical miles away from the ship when it was already dark?
  • What caused Naomi's helicopter to crash?
  • Was Desmond lying about seeing Claire and Aaron getting off the Island in a helicopter?

External links[]

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