The first stage takes place in an urban setting populated with many roads and tall buildings.
Overhead view
The game actually gives you a thirty second warm-up period, where all deaths do not count. Only after the 30 seconds are up do any deaths take away from your extra life count. You begin the game flying high above a street. Among the cars, you will encounter many tanks which shoot up at your helicopter. They are joined by helicopters who rise from the ground in an effort to collide with you. At full speed, you can actually charge through this section before the 30 second grace period is up (provided you don't die). Make sure you move continuously in a circle in order to avoid getting shot
Note that you should choose your altitude carefully. Flying lower to the ground gives enemies less of a chance to shoot at you and hit you, but it also makes it harder for you to see what's coming and avoid any sudden attacks.
Behind-the-cockpit view
The view will shift to behind the helicopter as you tackle the remainder of the stage. There are several threats to watch out for. Tanks on the ground move slowly, but they will try to shoot you out of the sky. If you want to hit them, you must either fly low enough that your guns will strike them, or be lined up with them when you fire your missiles. Helicopters will fly towards you in the sky. And naturally, buildings must be avoided. Some will force you to fly around them and choose a left path or a right path. Around the time that you fly over a bridge, a series of planes will fly out ahead of you. First a squadron will appear from the right, and then another squad will appear a bit lower from the left. These squads are not a threat to you (in this stage) and offer a good opportunity to increase your hit count, which will result in a higher bonus score at the end of the level. You can fly low or high. Flying low can make it easier to hit the tanks, but then you'll miss a lot of helicopters.
The goal is simply to reach the front of the carrier. How much you destroy along the way is optional, but the more guns you take out, the safer you will be, generally. As with all boss fights, you no longer have control over your altitude. Try to remain at top speed and only slow down when doing so will prevent you from getting shot. Two guns greet you before you reach a parked helicopter, followed by two more guns before a control tower. Four missile hatches appear before a large array of guns along either side of the ship. After another control tower, eight gun hatches will be surrounding a missile launcher. The front of the boat is just up ahead.
