History Main / HelicopterFlyswatter

A classic move for the [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant-monster]] genre, from Film/KingKong to [[Film/{{Cloverfield}} Clover]], this is when a gigantic creature or similar menace lashes out and destroys a helicopter or other low-flying aircraft. The aircraft might be attacking the monster, circling too close to capture footage of the creature (news crews, beware this trope!), or simply passing by and/or trying to get the hell away from it. One of the many hazards of being an AcrophobicBird, and a standard tactic for filmmakers to justify a monster ''not'' simply being blown away by an air-to-ground missile. Of course if the threat is groundbased, and the pilots would logically know it possessed no ranged weaponry, this may be a case of TooDumbToLive.

* The board game ''TheCreatureThatAteSheboygan'', which simulates an AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever, includes rules for having the monster destroy helicopters that fly too close.

* The human protagonist of StephenKing's ''Battleground'' swats one of the attacking mini-choppers out of the air barehanded (suffering appropriate injuries to his hand), then throws a blanket over the other and stomps on it.

* This is actually in ''music''. The intro to ''Arockalypse'' by ''{{Lordi}}'' is a spoken news bulletin about a zombie invasion, including a snippet from a reporter who gets knocked out of the sky by a monster climbing a building.

* The monsters in the ArcadeGame ''{{Rampage}}'' could do this to attacking helicopters.
* Can be done in ''CrushCrumbleAndChomp'', though it's actually somewhat difficult. The helicopter units are fairly good at keeping their distance from the monster, and good at evading the monster's "grab" attack.

* In ''MonstersVsAliens'', Ginormica does it by accident, [[NotHelpingYourCase while trying to explain how she's not dangerous at all.]]
* Parodied in the opening scene of ''BeavisAndButthead Do America''.

* In ''BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'', Batman does this with small radio-controlled choppers in a miniature diorama of Gotham City. Justified: This is the old "Gotham of the Future" monorail display, which now serves as the Joker's home base.

* The TropeNamer is the now-famous tweet joking about using a flyswatter to get rid of an annoying helicopter that was flying around town in the middle of the night. The town was Abbottabad, Pakistan, and the helicopters were carrying [=Navy SEALS=] on their way to take down Osama bin Laden. One of them did crash during the raid, but so far there have been no reports that giant monsters were involved.

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A classic move for the [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant-monster]] genre, from Film/KingKong to [[{{Cloverfield}} Clover]], this is when a gigantic creature or similar menace lashes out and destroys a helicopter or other low-flying aircraft. The aircraft might be attacking the monster, circling too close to capture footage of the creature (news crews, beware this trope!), or simply passing by and/or trying to get the hell away from it. One of the many hazards of being an AcrophobicBird, and a standard tactic for filmmakers to justify a monster ''not'' simply being blown away by an air-to-ground missile. Of course if the threat is groundbased, and the pilots would logically know it possessed no ranged weaponry, this may be a case of TooDumbToLive.

** In the 1998 ''Film/{{Godzilla}}'' movie, the titular 'zilla does this to a helicopter that's tracking him though the city by sneaking up on it from below.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" the plane that the Simpsons are on going home gets attacked by Godzilla.

* ''Film/MegaSharkVersusGiantOctopus'' uses the standard version when the octopus swats a fighter plane, and takes it far beyond credibility when the shark ''leaps 30,000 feet up to nom an airliner''.

** In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" the plane that the Simpsons are on going home gets attacked by Godzilla.
-->'''Pilot:''' Uh, folks, we're experiencing some moderate Godzilla-related turbulence at this time, so I'm going to go ahead and ask you to put your seat belts back on. When we get to 35 thousand feet, he usually does let go, so from there on out, all we have to worry about is Mothra, and, uh, we do have reports he's tied up with Gamera and Rodan at the present time. Thank you very much.

* HellishCopter vs. GiantEnemyCrab: [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/23p84/ 0-1]] As the AltText says: "Helicopters only exist in this comic to get exploded. They serve no other purpose."

* The TropeNamer is the now-famous tweet joking about using a flyswatter to get rid of an annoying helicopter that was flying around town in the middle of the night. The town was Abbottabad, Pakistan, and the helicopters were carrying [=Navy SEALS=] on their way to take down Osama bin Laden. One of them did crash during the raid, but there have been no reports that giant monsters were involved.

* Near the end of ''{{Film/Cloverfield}}'', the monster takes down a helicopter full of evacuees [[spoiler:the protagonists]].
* {{Franchise/Godzilla}} and his kaiju colleagues do this all the time.

-->Pilot: Uh, folks, we're experiencing some moderate Godzilla-related turbulence at this time, so I'm going to go ahead and ask you to put your seat belts back on. When we get to 35 thousand feet, he usually does let go, so from there on out, all we have to worry about is Mothra, and, uh, we do have reports he's tied up with Gamera and Rodan at the present time. Thank you very much.

* ''MegaSharkVersusGiantOctopus'' uses the standard version when the octopus swats a fighter plane, and takes it far beyond credibility when the shark ''leaps 30,000 feet up to nom an airliner''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Tazmania'': In "Taz in Keeweeland", Taz becomes a giant atop a skyscraper, swatting at the Kiwi in a biplane.

** In the 1997 ''{{Godzilla}}'' movie, the titular 'zilla does this to a helicopter that's tracking him though the city by sneaking up on it from below.
** Especially notable in GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack, in which Godzilla THROWS Baragon into a news chopper. What a way to die.

* The TropeNamer is the now-famous tweet joking about using a flyswatter to get rid of an annoying helicopter that was flying around town in the middle of the night. The town was Abbottabad, Pakistan, and the helicopters were carrying [=Navy SEALS=] on their way to take down Osama bin Laden.

* In ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Eva]]'', Asuka drop-kicks a VTOL craft using Unit-02.

A classic move for every {{Kaiju}} from Film/KingKong to [[{{Cloverfield}} Clover]], this is when a giant monster or similar menace lashes out and destroys a helicopter or other low-flying aircraft. The aircraft might be attacking the monster, circling too close to capture footage of the creature (news crews, beware this trope!), or simply passing by and/or trying to get the hell away from it. One of the many hazards of being an AcrophobicBird, and a standard tactic for filmmakers to justify a monster ''not'' simply being blown away by an air-to-ground missile. Of course if the threat is groundbased, and the pilots would logically know it possessed no ranged weaponry, this may be a case of TooDumbToLive.

* ''Film/KingKong'' swats at attacking aircraft at the climax of the movie. %%If you remember whether he actually hits any, please update this example.
* Near the end of ''{{Cloverfield}}'', the monster takes down a helicopter full of evacuees.
* {{Godzilla}} and his kaiju colleagues do this all the time.

A classic move for every {{Kaiju}} from KingKong to [[{{Cloverfield}} Clover]], this is when a giant monster or similar menace lashes out and destroys a helicopter or other low-flying aircraft. The aircraft might be attacking the monster, circling too close to capture footage of the creature (news crews, beware this trope!), or simply passing by and/or trying to get the hell away from it. One of the many hazards of being an AcrophobicBird, and a standard tactic for filmmakers to justify a monster ''not'' simply being blown away by an air-to-ground missile. Of course if the threat is groundbased, and the pilots would logically know it possessed no ranged weaponry, this may be a case of TooDumbToLive.

* In ''[[NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Eva]]'', Asuka drop-kicks a VTOL craft using Unit-02.

* ''KingKong'' swats at attacking aircraft at the climax of the movie. %%If you remember whether he actually hits any, please update this example.

A classic move for every {{Kaiju}} from KingKong to [[{{Cloverfield}} Clover]], this is when a giant monster or similar menace lashes out and destroys a helicopter or other low-flying aircraft. The aircraft might be attacking the monster, circling too close to capture footage of the creature (news crews, beware this trope!), or simply passing by and/or trying to get the hell away from it. One of the many hazards of being an AcrophobicBird, and a standard tactic for filmmakers to justify a monster ''not'' simply being blown away by an air-to-ground missile.

* In ''{{VideoGame/Prototype}}'', Alex Mercer isn't giant, but frequently swats helicopters out of the sky, usually using his [[CombatTentacles Whipfist]].

* In ''MonstersVsAliens'', Ginormica accidentally backhands a helicopter when trying to stress to General Monger that she's [[NotHelpingYourCase not a danger to anyone or anything]].

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* KingKong swats at attacking aircraft at the climax of the movie. %%If you remember whether he actually hits any, please update this example.

** In the ''{{Simpsons}}'' episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" the plane that the Simpsons are on going home gets attacked by Godzilla.

* In ''MonstersVsAliens'', Ginormica does it by accident, [[NotHelpingYourCase while trying to explain how she's not dangerous at all.]]
* Parodied in the opening scene of ''BeavisAndButthead Do America''
* In {{VideoGame/Prototype}}, Alex Mercer isn't giant, but frequently swats helicopters out of the sky, usually using his [[CombatTentacles Whipfist]].
* The monsters in the ArcadeGame ''{{Rampage}}'' could do this to attacking helicopters.
* The TropeNamer is the now-famous tweet joking about using a flyswatter to get rid of an annoying helicopter that was flying around town in the middle of the night. The town was Abbottabad, Pakistan, and the helicopters were carrying [=Navy SEALS=] on their way to take down Osama bin Laden.

* In ''[[NeonGenesisEvangelion End of Eva]]'', Asuka drop-kicks a VTOL craft using Unit-02.
* The board game ''TheCreatureThatAteSheboygan'', which simulates an AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever, includes rules for having the monster destroy helicopters that fly too close.