"Blue Thunder," the 1983 American action thriller film from Columbia Pictures, directed by John Badham and produced by Gordon Carroll, Phil Feldman, and Andrew Fogelson, featured helicopters specially designed by Mickey Michaels. Rejecting existing designs, Michaels created the helicopters using Frenchbuilt Aérospatiale SA341G Gazelles. These Gazelles underwent extensive modifications with bolton parts and Apachestyle canopies for the film.

Columbia Pictures purchased two Gazelles, serial numbers 1066 and 1075, from Aérospatiale for $190,000 each. The helicopters were then sent to Cinema Air in Carlsbad, California, where they were heavily modified. However, these alterations made the helicopters considerably heavy, requiring filmmaking tricks to create the illusion of speed and agility on screen.

Postfilm and TV series production, both helicopters were sold to aviation salvage collector Michael E. Grube in Clovis, New Mexico. In 1985, one of the helicopters appeared in the pilot episode of MacGyver, featuring a different paint job, removal of microphones, the video surveillance package, and a change in the side number from "02" to "51."

Grube later leased serial number 1066 to a film company shooting "Amerika," an ABC television miniseries depicting Soviet occupation of the United States. The helicopters were repainted black with red tail stripes and numbering, and missile launchers were added to the pylons. After its return, 1066 was dismantled and sold for parts.

Serial number 1075 met a different fate, being scrapped in 1988. A third static display model used for closeup shots with actors was created but deteriorated over time and was eventually scrapped by 2009. The bolton cockpit of the original helicopter was once visible on the backlot tour of MGM Studios in Florida.

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