Powerglide (G1)
Powerglide is an Autobot in the Generation 1 continuity.
||Powerglide||, unlike most Autobots, can fly under his own power, and it goes straight to his pointy head. Give him any excuse and awaa-aa-aay he goes, dashing off into the stratosphere at 500 mph -- but not in a straight line. No, Powerglide is an aerial acrobat, able to perform stunts other Transformer planes would never dream of. Barrel rolls, tail stands, death spirals, screaming 3200-mph powerdives: none of these are too tough for this Autobot barnstormer, and if he has an audience, be they friendly or enemy, he is guaranteed to put on the air show of their lives.
Yet this seeming frivolity has saved his life countless times in combat. Powerglide is lightly armored with small concussion bombs and a nose-mounted thermal beam, and the former is practically useless in the air. Furthermore, his speed and power, impressive as they are, are vastly outclassed by most aerial Decepticons. Like the flying aces of World War I, Powerglide resorts to dogfighting maneuvers, using his flying skills to confuse and evade the enemy. This tactic works very well.
In fact, Powerglide's skill only aggravates his greatest weakness. He is good, and he knows it, and he misses no chance to show it. If this means he will seek out ever tougher foes to prove his mettle -- then he'll do that, even if it kills him. Some day, it might.
Fiction
Generation 1 Cartoon
Powerglide was a brash barnstormer with a penchant for spouting gung-ho sayings like "And awaaa-aaa-aay we go!". For a time, he was somewhat smitten with the fleshling female Astoria Carlton-Ritz. They went on a date or two, but (fortunately) the only lasting result was a series of flashing lights under his chestplate in the form of a stylized heart. What purpose this served is not immediately clear.
Marvel Comics
Powerglide was a member of Perceptor's resistance cell on Cybertron, until their great raid on Darkmount, during which Powerglide was accidentally transported to Earth with his comrades. While on Cybertron, he transformed into a triangular aircraft with hovering ability and a hoisting winch, with enough lifting power to just barely pick up his fellow Autobot Blaster. Once on Earth, he changed this mode for a ground-attack jet similar in appearance to a Republic A10.
