Vertibird (Fallout 4)

Characteristics
The Vertibirds utilized on the East Coast have transparent cockpits, sliding doors on the cabin, a pintle-mounted minigun on the left-hand side, and folding wings and rotors. The Vertibird also has a docking hook along the top near the tail, that links with the docking hook/arm on the flight deck of the Prydwen. Different from previous models is the model's retractable landing gear, in a different configuration with one along the centerline at the front of the aircraft and the other three in a tricycle layout at the rear of the fuselage.

Its armaments consist of two front-facing cannons and dual miniguns. There is one known model used by the pre-War United States Armed Forces and Arthur Maxson's Brotherhood of Steel, a bulkier transport model with a glass cockpit, retractable side doors, collapsible wings, and two additional jet engines behind the main cabin.

The Vertibird's VTOL flight mechanics allow it to approach landing zones with the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft and transition into a hovering mode of flight, by tilting its rotors vertically upwards 90 degrees.

Vertibirds lack the large armament package seen in the Capital Wasteland and are only armed with two fixed forward-firing machine guns and a crew operated minigun mounted on the left-hand side. When dropping the Sole Survivor off in an area inhabited with hostiles, the Vertibird will sometimes support them by firing on the hostiles with its machine guns.

Vertibirds are easily destroyed by all ranged weapons, and can be targeted in V.A.T.S. When a Vertibird is airborne and takes enough damage, it starts spinning on its Y axis, similar to how helicopters spin when they lose their tail rotor, before crashing into the ground and exploding, similar to a mini nuke explosion. The Vertibird usually breaks up into four large pieces upon crashing, releasing small amounts of radiation for a short while. However, if the Vertibird takes an immense amount of damage - such as a direct hit with a two-shot fat man MIRV or an upgraded explosive minigun - the Vertibird will slowly fall to the ground and pass through it. Marking with a recon scope can show its progress under the terrain.

Although the Brotherhood of Steel are the only faction to have a confirmed fleet of Vertibirds in Fallout 4, the Gunners are also confirmed to own at least one - at least until they crashed it into the Mass Bay Medical Center. The Minutemen and the Railroad may also come into possession of a single Vertibird. The Good Fighters have also managed to repair two Vertibirds and make them flightworthy.

Locations
The first Vertibird appears in the opening sequence of the game, flying over Sanctuary Hills and landing next to the entrance of Vault 111. Another Vertibird hovers over the Old North Bridge. Later, several crashed and wrecked Vertibirds can be found throughout the Commonwealth. Near the wrecked Vertibirds, power armor can commonly appear.


 * The first Vertibird seen in the post-War Commonwealth if following the main story is one crashed on the roof of the Museum of Freedom. Michael Daly's power armor can be recovered there during the quest When Freedom Calls.
 * Operational Vertibirds are seen after the quest Reunions when a Brotherhood of Steel force shows up with the Prydwen. Afterward Brotherhood of Steel Vertibirds are seen flying, sometimes in pairs, throughout the Commonwealth deploying squads or firing on hostiles. After the quest Show No Mercy, the player character gains the ability to call in a Brotherhood of Steel transport Vertibird by using a Vertibird signal grenade. They also gain the ability to call a Vertibird after the Nuclear Option, when siding with the Railroad or alternatively, after completing With Our Powers Combined for the Commonwealth Minutemen.

Travel

 * To travel by Vertibird, drop a Vertibird signal grenade in a suitable location, wait for it to land, approach the aircraft until the option to Board is shown, then select it. On board the Vertibird open the PipBoy's Map page and select a location for Fast Travel.
 * Regardless of whether the character approaches the left door or the right door, the boarding animation shows them entering the left door and taking up position on the left door's door gun.
 * The Vertibird will attempt to land as close as possible to the colored smoke signal. However in highly congested terrain, the game may report that it is not possible for a Vertibird to land at your location. The signal grenade is still expended.
 * In moderately congested terrain the Vertibird may need to land some distance away, potentially out of sight. A landed Vertibird will always add a quest to the Miscellaneous section. Initially this is inactive. If activated, the quest marker can be used to located the Vertibird. Once activated, this quest marker will automatically be activated for future landings, until it is deliberately deactivated.
 * En route you may select Land to land at the current location rather than the destination that was selected on the map.
 * If one selects Land by accident while traveling to a location, re-selecting the originally selected location (on the Map page) will result in arriving at that location.
 * The Vertibird can change destination mid-flight at any time by selecting a new destination prior to final descent at the current destination.
 * There appears to be no limitation on the Vertibird's airborne endurance.
 * Traveling by Vertibird is significantly faster than fast-traveling, even when factoring in the time for the aircraft to arrive.
 * Travel by Vertibird can add fast-travel locations and points of interest to the Pip-Boy while en route. It can also update incorrect or outdated settlement workshop data if passing sufficiently close to a settlement.

Combat

 * The door-mounted minigun may be fired on the ground (after boarding and before take off, but not after landing) as well as while airborne.
 * By selecting a sequence of destinations in a crude counter-clockwise circle or polygon around a target, it is possible to 'orbit' that target indefinitely, for example to fire on the target with the door gun.
 * During travel the player can not use VATS, or throwables, or any weapon other than the door gun. It is possible to aim down the door gun's barrel. The player can access the PipBoy screens and use shortcuts.
 * In Survival Mode, periodic damage from over-encumbrance does not occur while traveling in a Vertibird. Thirst and hunger effects occur in the normal way.
 * There appears to be no limitation on the ammunition capacity of the door gun.
 * The door gun cannnot do damage to the Vertibird it is mounted in. It can damage other Vertibirds, downing them quite easily.
 * Settlements are still marked as CLEARED even when achieving combat objectives only by using the Vertibird's door gun.
 * Wearing power armor while traveling aboard a Vertibird will still drain the armor's fusion cores. Even though one is not physically moving the armor, the Vertibird travel still counts towards the depletion of the fusion energy.
 * While flying over a raider captured outpost, the turrets and raiders there will attack the Vertibird and its pilot, but will neither be able to hit it nor be hostile against the Sole Survivor.

Behind the scenes
In The Art of Fallout 4, the Fallout 4 Vertibird is described as the "result of a goldfish meeting a Hind helicopter."

Bugs

 * The wreckage from a destroyed Vertibird may continue to move long after it has crashed, sending (harmless) fuselage spinning over and over around the crash-site.
 * Boarding a signaled Vertibird that has landed in Boston Common Pond will cause you to remain irradiated, even after landing.
 * Idling long enough inside the Vertibird to where the camera pans around the character in third person, then moving the camera after landing, may cause the player to become stuck inside, and the Vertibird will take off with the player unable to move. After a few moments, the player will fall out of the Vertibird.
 * When a vertibird runs out of health, it is supposed to spin wildly out of the air and crash into the ground. However, sometimes a glitch occurs where it gets staggered while this is happening, causing the vertibird to become 'zombified'. It will hover in the air and slowly drift towards the ground, sometimes even sinking into it rather than exploding like it should.
 * The Vertibird can suffer from Wounding Legendary weapon effect (bleed). With enough sequential hits and using enough powerful weapon, like Pickman's Blade, the Vertibird's life can be seen diminishing from bleeding through V.A.T.S.
 * The Vertibird can suffer from having the minigun disappear after the player has taken off, essentially making it defenseless for the remainder of the journey. there seems to be no set trigger. moving or not moving, panning the camera or not. zoomed in or out.