Deborah Pratt, who played Mariella, was married to creator Donald Bellisario during the time of the show. She also had appearances on other Bellisario shows such as Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I. She is also the mother of actress Troian Bellisario.
At about halfway in the episode, Dominic Santini arrives at the cabin with groceries. While he's unpacking them, Hawke casually says to him "Hey Dom, I think I found a canyon deep enough to do that crop duster chase....You know for Bellisario's film." This is a nod to legendary producer and show creator Donald Bellisario who created Airwolf (as well as produced & directed the pilot), Magnum P.I., Quantum Leap, JAG, and NCIS.
Dominic Santini served in both World War 2 and the Korean War. According to his stories in World War 2 he flew P47 Thunderbolt fighters in the European theatre and also ferried bombers from the US to North Africa via South America. It was during this time he met and befriended Hawke's and St. John's father. He was also held as a POW in Korea.
In the series pilot movie, several references are made to Mirabel Oil. The F.I.R.M.'s spies work undercover in Libya through Mirabel Oil. The name "Mirabel" is a nod to the Bell Mirabel helicopter manufacturing facility in Montreal, Quebec, Canada where Bell produces all of its commercial helicopters, including the Bell 222 that was modified for use in the Airwolf (1984) TV series.
It is stated that Stringfellow and St. John Hawke needed a special waiver and permission from their commanding officer, Colonel Vidor, in order to serve in the same unit in Vietnam. This is because of a genuine military regulation dating from the Second World War forbidding family members serving in the same unit in case it affects their tactical judgment and sparing their family the possibility that they could both be killed in the same battle. In Hawke and St. John's case an exception may have been made as they were the only members of their family left.