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Airwolf

American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ409389
Source-derived summary

Airwolf is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named Airwolf, and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme. It was created by Donald P. Bellisario and ran four seasons, from January 22, 1984, until August 7, 1987.

The main cast for the first three seasons is Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest Borgnine, Alex Cord, Deborah Pratt (who departed after season two when her husband Bellisario left the series), and Jean Bruce Scott (who became a regular in seasons two and three). The program originally aired on CBS and was cancelled after the third season. USA Network picked up the show for a fourth season that was completely recast, with Jan-Michael Vincent having only a minor role in the first episode. The fourth season was filmed in Canada, with the aerial scenes relying heavily on stock footage or repeated footage from the first three seasons.

The musical score was composed and conducted mainly by Sylvester Levay.

Plot

The fictional Airwolf is an advanced prototype supersonic helicopter with stealth capabilities and a formidable arsenal.

Editorial summary

“Airwolf” enters the record as american television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Airwolf, American and television can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1984, 1987—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Airwolf, American and television.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Airwolf” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Airwolf, American and television provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q409389. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1984 and 1987.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Airwolf”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Airwolf primary sources, Airwolf archive and Airwolf research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Airwolf”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Airwolf” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.