High Flyer

High Flyer
Episode #	207
Air Date	November 4, 1978
Briefing	Stolen car parts

Title screen

Plot

A woman leaves her car to go to the call box and three guys steal her engine. Our heroes chase their blue van. They lose it in a nearby neighborhood. Later, Ponch takes Jon's neighbor shopping while Jon repairs Ponch's car with the help of a girl who has a crush on him.

The next day, Ponch pretends to have a cold so he doesn't have to go up in the helicopter. Grossman goes up instead. Soon, Ponch and Jon respond to a call about car strippers. The strippers, now in a tan van, drive down an alley and throw tires at Ponch and Jon. Ponch hits one and falls over in garbage.

That night, Jon's neighbor has a fight with her daughter, Kim. Kim visits Jon at 1am.

The next day, Ponch fakes an earache but finds out that the flight was canceled anyway because of weather. Remember that van? It's now blue and white and still stripping cars in broad daylight. Ponch and Jon chase it until it rolls over and catches fire. So much for the new paint job. Back at Jon's apartment, Kim is waiting for him. Jon and Ponch go talk to Kim's mom.

Later, Ponch and Jon pull over a van with 20 L.A. Rams cheerleaders in it. Jon makes 8 wait for a cruiser. While Jon directs traffic, Ponch hangs out with the cheerleaders. While Ponch is at Central, asking Sindy out on a date, Jon greeted at his apartment by Kim. Sindy and Ponch show up at Jon's shortly and Sindy pretends to be Jon's girlfriend. Jon is shocked and Kim gets depressed. After talking to Kim, everything turns out fine.

The next day, Ponch has no ailments and goes up in the helicopter. Ponch reveals he's terrified of crashing. Ponch and Bob in Helicopter 5 notice a brown van (didn't it burn?) near a Mercedes. Jon goes after the van on the ground. He arrests the bald buy after he tries to run. Meanwhile, Ponch and Bob chase the Mercedes. The guy runs away and Ponch gets out and nabs him. Back at Central, Ponch and Bob are headed out to the airport for Ponch's flying lesson. As Ponch leaves, he notices that there are four L.A. Rams cheerleaders there.

Guest Stars

• Mary Louise Weller as Carol
• Cyndi Bain as Kim
• John Ericson as Bob Patterson
• Lee deBroux as Bates

Also Starring

• Brianne Leary as Sindy Cahill
• Brodie Greer as Baricza
• Paul Linke as Grossman

Co-Starring

• David Roy Chandler as Sammy
• Grand Bush as Paul
• Ty Henderson as Tony

Featuring

• Harvey J. Goldenberg as Mr. Affelrod
• Vern Rowe as Mr. Carter
• Jenilee Harrison as Cheerleader
• Lisa Benson as Cheerleader

Crew

• Produced by: Cy Chermak
• Written by: James Schmerer
• Directed by: Gordon Hessler
• Executive Consultant: Rick Rosner
• Story Editors: William D. Gordon & James Doherty
• Associate Producers: Wm. L. Young and Paul Rabwin
• Developed for television by: Paul Playdon
• Music by: Alan Silvestri
• Theme by: John Parker
• Music Supervisor: Harry V. Lojewski
• Director of Photography: Robert F. Sparks
• Art Director: Joseph M. Altadonna
• Editor: Dennis Mosher
• Unit Production Manager: Wm. L. Young
• Assistant Director: Ron Grow
• 2nd Assistant Directors: Randell Henderson / Michael Kane
• Script Supervisor: Jack Gannon
• Set Decorator: W. Joseph Kroesser
• Production Consultant: Bob Hayden
• Technical Advisor: Dick Barton
• Sound: Maury Harris, Hal Watkins, C.A.S.
• Stunt Co-ordinator: Paul Nuckles
• Wardrobe Supervisor: Shelly Levine
• Makeup: John M. Norin
• Casting: Michael O. Hanks
• Locations by: Cinemobile Systems
• With Appreciation to Glen B. Craig, Commissioner California Highway Patrol
• Motorcycles Furnished by: Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
• Automobiles furnished by: Ford Motor Company
• Filmed in METROCOLOR / Titles and Opticals MGM
• Rosner Television in association with MGM Television

Fun Facts

• The helicopter/car chase is one of the best chases "CHiPs" has ever done. Check out how close the helicopter gets to the power lines. Flying like Bob does isn't easy.
• The building where Ponch spots the light blue Mercedes and brown '76 Chevy van ("the same van, Jon, the same van") from the helicopter is at 12615 Foothill Blvd, Sylmar. View in Google Maps
• The bridge where the helicopter forces the Mercedes to pull over is on Big Tujunga Canyon Road (a different bridge from the one seen in Aweigh We Go). View in Bing Maps

Mistakes

• Jon and Kim live across the street from each other. It's entirely possible that their apartments have the same design. Not only do they have the same floor plan and appliances but the wallpaper, orange paper towels, potholder (near the paper towels), and microwave oven are all the same...and in the same spots. There's also a white cylinder that's on Jon's stove but is near Kim's sink.
• The CHP gets to ride in a helicopter in this episode. So why don't we see it on the helicopter pad at Central in the overhead shots? (Stock footage yet again...)
• The bad guys did a great job of getting the blue van painted tan in two hours. Apparently they even had time to repaint the interior tan as well!
• When Ponch see the thieves stealing the Mercedes, he calls Jon on the radio and reports that the bad guys are in the same van from earlier in the episode. He says its a Chevy van. However, the van is indeed a Ford.
• Grossie apparently does not have the same ethics as Getraer. He must have gotten a "hall pass" to go out with the cheerleaders for the evening. Lucky guy!

Buy this episode

• High Flyer on DVD at Amazon.com

Preceded by: "Trick or Trick"

High Flyer 207

Followed by: "The Grudge"