Airwolf (1984)

Jan-Michael Vincent plays Stringfellow Hawke, a reclusive former test pilot who keeps an advanced attack helicopter hidden from the agency that built it until they find his brother, St. John, missing since the Vietnam War. Ernest Borgnine is his warm, grizzled partner. The flying, done with a modified Bell 222, is the reason to watch; the Cold War spy plots around it are standard stuff. Start with the two-hour pilot, "Shadow of the Hawke," and stick to the three CBS seasons. The fourth, made for USA Network with a completely new cast, is a different and much weaker show. Donald P. Bellisario created it, two years after Tales of the Gold Monkey.