Batplane

Pre-Crisis

During the Pre-Crisis, the Batplane went through more redesigns than any other vehical. Most of the Batplane's were designed after real military aircrafts as the designs improved the artists and the writers changed the Bat plane.

The Bat-Gyro

Batman's first vehicle appeared after four issues and it is called the Bat Gyro. Batman also gets his first weapon in this issue: The Batarang. When Bruce's girl friend Julie Madison was hypnotized by The Monk into going to Hungary, ("Land of Enchantment and Werewolves") Batman follows her in the Bat Gyro however he renames it the Batplane in the same comic. Batman rescues her and shoots The Monk with silver bullets (Batman's code against killing will come later). The Bat Gyro was used several times but Batman would later discard it for more advanced versions.

Wave of Bat-Planes

After he was partnered with Robin, the Batplane became more prominent in the comics along with the Batmobile. The first one was a small monoplane with retractable wings but the artists dropped the propeller in place of a bat shaped head. Later Batman would go on to add Jet engines to the Plane.

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Silver Age

During this age, all the Golden Age story was said to have taken place on Earth 2. While the new Silver Age stories took place on Earth-1. During this age, Batman's costume had a yellow oval over the bat logo and his cape would be larger and cover his shoulder area. During this time, the Batplane appeared very rarely because the editor,

[[Julius Schwartz:char:31303], felt that the stories should deal with crime and mystery rather than silly alien threats. However the Batplane managed to appear a few times and gave us 4 new Bat planes. The first one was Batplane 3 (golden age Batplane's being the first and second) was an F-104 Star fighter with additions like the New Look Bat logo and scalloped wings and tail.

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Unfortunately, the Batplane didn't make another appearance till the 1970's it was seen in an elseworld's title Gorilla City. This Batplane had for engines and could cruise at 1,243 miles per hour.After that the Batplanes made very brief and unmemorable appearances. The other and the last one to appear before the Crisis on Infinite Earths

was Bat Plane 6 which appears as a shrunk F-101 Voodoo and was used several times, to give it the title Bat Plane 6.

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Unused Model

In a Batman 200 page giant issue published in 1968 features a two page 'Inside the Bat cave' and gives a certain map of the cave. A Batplane never used in a Batman story before is featured, which is a F101 Voodoo to anyone familiar with aeroplanes.

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Other Flying Vehicles

The Flying Bat Cave

Batman once visited to Central City to investigate a crime wave. He brought along with him

Flying Bat-cave which contained a smoke screen to hide it from view. Miniature versions of the Batcave's trophies, Bat computers and even sleeping quarters. The Giant Helicopter was even big enough to house a miniature Batmobile called the Bat-racer. The Flying Batcave may sound unrealistic considering that it was an over sized helicopter but it came in handy when nabbing the bad guys.

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Bat-rocket

During the 50's when Batman dealt with aliens and time-travelling, he visited the future where he uses a Bat rocket to fly around and stopping crime in space and on earth. Batman can be alerted with the Bat signal lighted from the earth to the moon.

(Don't laugh this is before the transistors were invented.)

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Batcopter

The Bat copter is Batman's personal helicopter. Although he used it during 60's and mid 80's Batman now commonly uses the Batplane. It had appeared on the 60's television show Batman and even 70's The New Adventures of Batman (not to be mistaken with Batman: Gotham Knights), with Batman voiced by Adam West and Burt Ward doing the voice of Robin. The Bat copter also appeared in A Lonely Place of Dying arc where Batman is using one to track down Two Face. This version also came with the New Look Bat logo on it.

Whirly Bat

During the Golden Age, Batman employed many of these small light weight mini copters. They could hold only one person and the Golden Age Batman and Robin used it to chase the original Mr. Freezeto his lair. Batman once saved Hal Jordan's life when he fell from the sky,by using the Whirly Bat.In the animated JLU episode Ultimatum, the Whirly Bat was briefly seen as Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman and Aquaman arrived to stop the team Ultimatum when they went berserk. Batman stood in this new version of the Whirly Bat and it was also colored red and had two rotors, one on each side. When the JLU arrived at the building Aquaman was a second passenger in the Whirly Bat hanging on to one of the rotors.

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Bat-glider

During Batman's early years he had to deal with a group of thieves and was unable to catch them the first time. In order to catch them more effectively, Batman designed a Bat glider and like the movie Batman Returns, Batman kept the glider folded into a harness behind his cape. Like the movie the glider was rigid and as Batman chased the thieves into a graveyard, one of them threw a hook at him and it went through the glider tearing it. Batman fell from the sky and into a tree. Later, Batman would encounter Man-Bat whose predatory nature catches the thieves. Later Batman and Man Bat would fight in the Bat cave Batman was able to defeat the stronger and agile Man-bat without the glider. However, Batman still keeps a glider for himself although uses it very rarely.

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The Current Batwing

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Although the Batwing is absent from the comics for some time, Batman occasionally uses one

of the JLA's vehicles during their missions. In a modern retelling of Batman's history in Batman Confidential, the Batwing is from the Wayne Tech and Bruce Wayne borrowed it from them to use it against Lex Luthor. A modified Batwing had appeared in Detective Comics#750 in November 2000. It's basic design is taken clearly from the 1989 movie Batman and from Batman: The Animated Series.

In the DCAU

Batman the animated series

Batwing

In Batman the animated series, Batman uses a Batwing obviously based on the Tim Burton's

1980's Batman movie. The design was altered a bit so that the wings appeared more streamlined. It has made appearances in episodes like 'Terror from the Sky','The Cat and the Claw' and Tyger, Tyger.

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Batglider

Batman also used a Bat-glider in this series, though they look more like normal gliders with a black handles and a bat shaped it is handy when it comes to when battling foes like Man Bat. Batman also uses them for stake outs and surveillance like in the episode 'The Cat and the Claw'.

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The New Adventure of Batman

In the spin off series TNAB, all of Batman's equipment were up graded and given a new design. The Batwing was well turned up side down and could shoot missiles. Batman also used this version to chase new enemies like Roxy Rocket. It also appeared in the Static Shock episode: Hard as Nails.

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Batglider

The Glider was upgraded as well and now had more rigid metallic design. This version is apparent jet powered and can now shoot missiles as in the episode 'Worlds Finest'.

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The Batman

The Batwing

The Batwing has appeared during the third season in the episode 'Thunder'. When Gotham's new mayor, Maximillian Zeus takes questionable tactics in defending Gotham; Batman has to infiltrate his air ship titled 'New Olympus' with a high tech Batwing. This new version is lightweight, fast and more reliable. It can a pod for a cockpit and Batman wears a special suit while in it. There are also pods located on the wings possibly for other passengers.

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Batglider

The Bat glider appeared in Season One when Batman tracked down Penguins birds when he was on a crime spree. Batman mostly uses the glider against flying opponents like Man-bat and Firefly. As with the modern age, the Bat glider is jet powered and it is once again folded into a harness behind the cape.

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