| “ | Hovers wherever you direct it. Shoots from twin heavy dart guns. | ” |
| ~ Bloons TD 6 description |
The Heli Pilot (BTD5) is a tower first released in Bloons TD 5 Mobile. The Heli Pilot is an aircraft, like the Monkey Ace, that shoots 2 darts directly in front of it. The Heli Pilot is operated by a monkey. Although the Heli Pilot does hover above the ground, it does not fly automatically like the Monkey Ace and has a helicopter pad instead of a runway, rather, is free to move about the entire map based on the targeting system chosen by the player.
The Heli Pilot is an expensive tower and costs $1275/$1500/$1620/$1800 Cash to place on Easy, Medium, Hard, and Impoppable respectively. In BTD6, this is increased to $1360 on Easy, $1600 on Medium, $1730 on Hard, and $1920 on Impoppable.
Tower Costs[]
| Game | Easy | Medium | Hard | Impoppable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloons TD 5 | $1,275 | $1,500 | $1,620 | - |
| Bloons TD 5 Mobile | $1,275 | $1,500 | $1,620 | $1,800 |
| Bloons TD Battles | $TBA | |||
| Bloons TD Battles Mobile | $TBA | |||
| Bloons Monkey City | $TBA | |||
| Bloons Monkey City Mobile | $TBA | |||
| Bloons TD 6 | $1,360 | $1,600 | $1,730 | $1,920 |
Targeting System[]
The Heli Pilot has four moving systems (one of which is unlocked with an upgrade). Lock in Place is a moving system that will make the Heli Pilot stay in one spot based on its current position. Follow Touch is another targeting system which makes the Heli Pilot follow where you touch or where your cursor is (depending on platform), like the Dartling Gun. Patrol is a targeting system that makes the Heli Pilot move from one point to another, which are selected by the player. The final targeting system, Pursuit, is the only targeting system that is not readily available at the start and must be purchased. Pursuit will make the Heli Pilot follow and attack the bloon farthest through the map.
Upgrades[]
Bloons TD 5[]
The Heli Pilot (BTD5) is a tower first released in Bloons TD 5 Mobile. The Heli Pilot is an aircraft, like the Monkey Ace, that shoots 2 darts directly in front of it. The Heli Pilot is operated by a monkey. Although the Heli Pilot does hover above the ground, it does not fly automatically like the Monkey Ace and has a helicopter pad instead of a runway, rather, is free to move about the entire map based on the targeting system chosen by the player. The Heli Pilot is an expensive tower and costs $1275/$1500/$1620/$1800 Cash to place on Easy, Medium, Hard, and Impoppable respectively. This tower has many powerful upgrades and helpful additions never before seen in any tower, including Razor Rotors, and Support Chinook.
Path 1[]
 |
Quad Darts COST: $510 / $600 / $650 / $720 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Shoots 4 darts per volley instead of 2.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Pursuit COST: $425 / $500 / $540 / $600 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Superior targeting computers enable a powerful new targeting option to pursue bloons across the track.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Razor Rotors COST: $1,485 / $1,750 / $1,890 / $2,100 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Rotors blades rip up bloons on contact, including frozen and lead.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Apache Dartship COST: $14,875 / $17,500 / $18,900 / $21,000 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Adds a large missile array and a powerful machine gun.
Effect: Adds a missile array with a rate of fire of (TBA) and a machine gun with a rate of fire of (TBA). | ||
Path 2[]
 |
Bigger Jets COST: $425 / $500 / $540 / $600 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: More powerful jets enable the Heli to move much faster.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Enhanced IFR Instruments COST: $510 / $600 / $650 / $720 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Allows Heli Pilot to detect and shoot Camo Bloons.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Downdraft COST: $2,125 / $2,500 / $2,700 / $3,000 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Blows bloons away from the Heli.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
 |
Support Chinook COST: $12,750 / $15,000 / $16,200 / $18,000 UNLOCK: TBA XP | |
| Description: Abilities: Drops life and cash crates, or can pick up and reposition most towers.
Effect: Self-explanatory | ||
Total Costs[]
Quotes[]
| “ | Powerful attack helicopter armed with twin dart shooters and multiple patrol options | ” |
| ~ Bloons TD 5 Mobile Description |
Strategy[]
As a somewhat relatively expensive tower with a limited firepower, the Heli Pilot is more about covering huge sections of the map over direct firepower that you can expect from the likes of Super Monkeys, though it differs from the Sniper Monkey in terms of single-target damage and Dartling Gun in terms of pierce.
In maps where you can use Monkey Sub, the Heli Pilot is a valuable tower when paired with an Advanced Intel, as the Sub will attack in the range of the Heli Pilot's range, essentially giving the Monkey Sub infinite range. Make sure that the Heli Pilot is supported with anti-camo upgrades such as Signal Flare, Radar Scanner, or Enhanced IFR Instruments to ensure that the Heli Pilot and hence, the Monkey Sub, can see and attack camo bloons.
Version History (Bloons TD Battles Mobile)[]
Heli-Pilot was hardly used, mostly because it was too expensive to use as an one-for-all-uses tower for the early-game to early mid-game when compared to towers like the Dart Monkey. Even so, a large number of buffs has allowed Heli-Pilot to be a more usable tower for the early-game, the mid-game, and even the mid-late-game. Most especially is in Version 4.6, where Path-2 upgrades Downdraft and Support Chinook have gotten significant buffs, as well as where Pursuit and Razor Rotors is significantly cheaper.
Overall, the Heli Pilot has been significantly buffed via game updates and has become drastically more used, with some considering the loadout Heli-Pilot Farm Ace to be the new meta. Other popular loadouts for Heli Pilot include Heli-Farm-Wizard (either as a Wizard start or a Heli start), Heli-Farm-Ice, Heli-Farm-Bomb, and Heli-Farm-Boomerang.
- 3.7
Apache Dartship price decreased ($17,500 → $14,000).- Pursuit now automatically switches the tower to the Pursuit targeting mode upon purchase. (Technically a buff, but sometimes the automatic Pursuit Mode interferes with players)
- 4.1
| “ | The sheer cost of the Heli-Pilot meant that it was rarely used in non late-game matches. Reducing its base cost and halving the price of camo detection should make it a more viable option. | ” |
| ~ "BTD Battles Update 4.1 - Big Balance Changes Incoming!" |
- Tower price decreased ($1,500 → $1,200).
- Bigger Jets price decreased ($500 → $250).
- Enhanced IFR Instruments price decreased ($600 → $300).
- 4.3
| “ | Placing and upgrading a Heli-Pilot to its third tier isn't cheap, so we think it should be a little more reliable when it comes to stopping lead bloons. Increasing the attack speed of Razor Rotors should help it achieve that.
Note: This buff is to the Razor Rotors only. The main weapon's attack speed will remain the same. |
” |
| ~ "BTD Battles 4.3 Update Balance Changes" |
- Razor Rotors attack speed of rotors increased by 50%.
- 4.3.1
| “ | As it stands, the cooldown timer starts as soon as you tap the ability icon, meaning you're not required to wait the full period before using the ability again. This change corrects that and it now works as intended. | ” |
| ~ "BTD Battles Update 4.3.1 Balance Changes" |
- Tower-moving ability cooldown timer of Support Chinook now starts upon tower selection, rather than as soon as the screen opens.
- 4.6
| “ | Much-like the Super Monkey, the Heli-Pilot isn't often seen outside of certain Club rulesets. We've dropped a bunch of upgrade prices to make it more accessible in normal game modes, as well as doubled the Downdraft effect when you upgrade to 0-4. | ” |
| ~ "BTD Battles Update 4.6 Balance Changes" |
- Pursuit price decreased ($500 → $350).
- Razor Rotors price decreased ($1,750 → $1,250).
- Downdraft price decreased ($2,500 → $1,750).
- Support Chinook price decreased ($15,000 → $7,500).
- Support Chinook's Downdraft effect attack speed increased by 100%.
- 4.8
- In Tournament Mode, if both players' lives are 150 lives or higher after the round limit then both players' lives will go to 1 life regardless of bonus lives from health crates. Health crates from the Crate Drop Ability will still grant bonus lives though, but will not give any bonus lives after Sudden Death.
- 5.0
- It is now no longer possible to stack towers on top of other towers with Support Chinook.
- 6.0
- Quad Darts cost increased ($600 → $750)
- Razor Rotors cost increased ($1250 → $1500)
- 6.6
- Base cost increased ($1100 → $1200)
- Quad Darts cost increased ($750 → $900)
- 6.11
- Apache Dartship no longer creates more missile explosions when given pierce buffs
- 6.12
- Heli Pilot price decreased ($1300 -> $1200)
- Pursuit price decreased ($350 -> $300)
- Razor Rotors price increased ($1500 -> $1600)
- Apache Dartship price increased ($14k -> $15k)
- Razor Rotors pierce reduced (5 -> 4)
- Downdraft pierce increased (1 -> 2)
- 6.14
- Downdraft price decreased ($1750 -> $1500)
- 6.15
- Pursuit price decreased ($300 -> $250)
- Pursuit no longer automatically switches to Pursuit targeting upon purchase of the upgrade
- 6.18
- Razor Rotors price decreased ($1600 -> $1500)
- Apache Dartship's machine gun attack damage increased (1 -> 2)
- Apache Dartship's machine gun attack cooldown increased (0.16s -> 0.32s)
Gallery[]
BTD5[]
Trivia[]
- The Heli Pilot and Monkey Ace are the only towers that use aircraft.
- This is currently the only tower that can have two different abilities without the use of a Specialty Building, or by other means.
- The Apache Dartship has no visible space for the rocket launcher.
- The Apache Gunship, and Support Chinook are real helicopters, still in use to date. The Comanche is also a real helicopter, however it was cancelled before mass production began.
- The Heli Pilot's landing pad doesn't change appearance with any of the upgrades.
- In BTD6, the Heli Pilot is currently the only tower (excluding Heroes) which can have 3 different abilities at a time. (4 if the Door Gunner monkey knowledge is involved).
- The missiles fired by Apache Dartship home in on bloons, and have infinite range.
- If the Support Chinook moves a Monkey Ace's landing strip, the plane will continue to circle around the place where the landing strip was before it got moved.
- If the Support Chinook moves a Portable Lake (special agent in BTD5) with water-towers on it, the towers will remain in the same place before the pool was moved; allowing the player to place near-unlimited water towers
- The same works with pontoons.
- As mentioned before, the Heli Pilot is a BTD5 Mobile, Steam, and Xbox exclusive tower. It is only unavailable in the Flash version.
- Heli Pilot is the one of two towers in Bloons TD 5 that has its path 1 tier 2 upgrade cheaper than tier 1 upgrade. The other tower to do so is the Monkey Buccaneer.
- Monkey Aces (including those from Aircraft Carriers,) Radadactyls, and other Heli Pilots all push Heli Pilots.
- Therefore, two Heli Pilots in pursuit mode would push each other continuously.
- In Bloons Monkey City Mobile, there is a special mission where you must rescue an endangered Heli Pilot in order to unlock it in the player's city and can be usable in game by paying $1000 to repair it.
- Its pad size takes up slightly less space than the Banana Farm.
- The 4/0 Apache Dartship has red lines on the end of its wings, while the 4/2 does not.
- The Heli Pilot's helicopter pad does not change in BTD5 when upgraded, but it does in BTD6 once upgraded to tier 4.
- All of the 4th and above tiers have names of American Indians (Apache Indians, Chinookan Indians, and Comanche Indians.)
- A single 0-0-0 Heli Pilot can defeat a M.O.A.B by itself on Logs, but only on Easy with lots of RNG. Mana Shield and other Monkey Knowledge (preferably the middle tree in military) will make this easier to do.
- The Heli Pilot looks significantly different in Bloons Monkey City and Bloons TD 5 portrait-wise, With Bloons Monkey City's being a darker shade of green, facing the right instead of left, and the back of the helicopter lacking a propeller.
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