Gyrocopter
The Gyrocopter is a helicopter owned by Funky Kong in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. It appears to have been made out of barrel parts, and its two propellers are yellow at the tip. In Donkey Kong Country 2 for the Game Boy Advance, Funky owns another Gyrocopter, which replaces the Biplane Barrel from the original version, and it has a yellow body instead of a barrel-like one.
HistoryEdit
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!Edit
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, the Gyrocopter, also known as the Funky-Copter, is the last vehicle that Funky constructs at Funky's Rentals, and is the only vehicle that is capable of aerial travel around the Northern Kremisphere map, allowing Dixie and Kiddy Kong to access any location. In order for Funky to build the Gyrocopter, the Kongs must have obtained every DK Coin. The Gyrocopter is required to access three secret caves — Belcha's Burrow, K's Kache, and Hill-Top Hoard — and to visit the Banana Queen in the clouds. When a location has been selected on the world map, the Gyrocopter does a straight landing, and the Kongs enter that location. Like the other vehicles, the Gyrocopter can move around more quickly if the player holds 
(or 
in the Game Boy Advance remake). The Gyrocopter is the only vehicle that cannot honk on the world map. Because the Game Boy Advance version's world maps are more zoomed in, the Gyrocopter's fast movement is more noticeable in the original game.
Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance)Edit
In Donkey Kong Country 2, Funky only allows Diddy and Dixie to use the Gyrocopter after they have demonstrated their piloting skills by completing the Aerial Loop challenge at the Funky's Flights II in Gangplank Galleon. In doing so, the ability to use the Gyrocopter becomes an available option from the world map. In order to do this, the player must press 
while on the world map to open a menu and then press 
to open a sub-menu that has the Gyrocopter as the topmost option. The Gyrocopter is the only way to exit a completed world, as a boss level only returns Diddy and Dixie to the Crocodile Isle map upon first-time completion. Furthermore, there is a glitch where if the Kongs re-enter any world except for Gangplank Galleon without completing the Aerial Loop challenge, they remain permanently stuck in that world.
In the first ending, when The Flying Krock begins to self-destruct, Funky arrives with the Gyrocopter to rescue Diddy, Dixie, Donkey Kong, and Cranky Kong, who all jump into the Gyrocopter right before The Flying Krock begins its decline. In the second ending, after Diddy and Dixie defeat Kaptain K. Rool in the Lost World, Kaptain K. Rool attempts to escape on a raft (like he did in the original version), but Funky appears and drops a bomb on the raft from the Gyrocopter before Kaptain K. Rool can make his escape.
The Gyrocopter is used in every Funky's Flights mission, each requiring Diddy or Dixie have to clear a certain objective within a time limit or without the Gyrocopter's fuel running out. The Gyrocopter always starts off from a helipad, and it often has to be piloted through hazardous environments, such as between brambles or sometimes underwater. The Gyrocopter can be controlled by using 
to move the Gyrocopter in the desired direction, press 
to make it fire a bullet, and hold either 
or to have the Gyrocopter face the screen or to keep it facing left or right while moving, respectively. In some missions, the Gyrocopter has a grappling hook that can be deployed by pressing 
, and the grappling hook's purpose is to hook on to certain objects such as a treasure chest. The Gyrocopter itself can pick up various supplies, such as ammunition, bombs, fuel restoration, and clocks that slow the timer. The Gyrocopter can also move around underwater, but Diddy and Dixie are given a limited air supply, despite not having any otherwise. Taking damage from either an enemy or obstacle takes away a portion of the Gyrocopter's fuel gauge, and if the Gyrocopter runs of out fuel, it explodes, though the player can choose to either abort or continue the mission. By continuing, the Gyrocopter restarts from the starting helipad with its fuel gauge refilled, but the timer continues from when the airship exploded. The Gyrocopter usually has an unlimited number of bullets, which can be shot at enemies and barriers. In the Cool Sounds and Kongnapped 2 missions, the Gyrocopter can shoot at buttons that control the ice level and water level respectively. In several missions, there is a proximity radar at the bottom right of the interface that helps with locating objects and hostages alike.
GalleryEdit
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! artwork
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! artwork (side view)
Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance) artwork
Names in other languagesEdit
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | Girocottero (Donkey Kong Country 2) Funkycottero (Donkey Kong Country 3) |
Gyrocopter Funkycopter |