Jan-Michael Vincent is the only cast member of the original series Airwolf (1984) who appeared in this sequel series, and only in the pilot Blackjack (1987).
The budget was so small at only $300,000 per episode (compared to over $1m on original CBS show), the production couldn't afford the real helicopter (aka "76S"). All scenes of the actors interacting with Airwolf used the studio mock-up (aka "88K") of the aircraft. Re-edited (plus unused B-Roll) footage of Airwolf in flight from the original series did the rest.
In 2013-2014, the original Standard Definition prints were adjusted by Universal Studios (on a limited, fixed budget over 6 months) by bringing in one of the original film editors (now deceased) to find and replace as much of the Standard Definition footage of Airwolf in flight as possible, with the new 2014 HD masters of the 35mm (2nd Unit) footage.
In 2013-2014, the original Standard Definition prints were adjusted by Universal Studios (on a limited, fixed budget over 6 months) by bringing in one of the original film editors (now deceased) to find and replace as much of the Standard Definition footage of Airwolf in flight as possible, with the new 2014 HD masters of the 35mm (2nd Unit) footage.
The original CBS incarnation of Airwolf was canceled after only three seasons due to declining ratings and star Jan-Michael Vincent's growing problem with alcoholism. Universal Studios produced this "sequel" series on a shoestring budget in Canada, in order to provide enough episodes for both shows to be sold into syndication.