Chapter 281: Helicopter

The work on the helicopter was going much more smoothly than Matteo had dared to hope for. As it happened, it was actually easier to convert than a standard combustion engine, as there were only two fuel injectors, a redundant system in case one failed.

None of the other parts even needed to be modified, he just needed to convert the fuel tank for mana storage, and the injectors for fire magic.

Once those two minor changes were made, the helicopter actually began to spool up just as it should.

That was more than a bit shocking.

He might not have the talent to fully build a magitech turbine engine from scratch, but with a bit of practice, and the right blueprints, he would get there. For now, he could at least modify the ones that the System made, and have them function on magic.

For now, it was just the one helicopter, a transport model that Kalli had purchased. But there were others with the Arks that could be modified, and when the transport had a pair of door gunners, it would be just as capable in combat as a flight suit.

At least, as far as combat capability went.

The flight suits were actually both faster and more manoeuvrable than the helicopter. They could sustain higher G load turns, at higher rates of travel, and hover just as effectively.

The helicopter was rolled out into the open on a flat cart, and the unmistakable sound of rotors filled the air.

Another good sign, Matteo decided.

If they sounded a bit off, there was likely something wrong that he hadn’t considered. Even if everything appeared to be correct, and all the instruments said that it was correct, if it sounded wrong, it likely was.

Sometimes, magic and technology didn’t want to play well together.

But these helicopters weren’t particularly fancy. They were mostly mechanical gauges, or vacuum-driven ones, with only the radios being advanced electronics.

For some reason, the System didn’t equip them with GPS.

That was an annoyance to everyone, but with their current operational range, it would be nearly impossible to get lost under normal conditions.

Zero visibility flying in forest fire smoke was excluded from "normal operating conditions".

"Someone get me a pilot. I have no idea how to actually fly this thing. I know that we’ve got a few on staff, and Marimgar had some before we arrived, right?" Matteo asked.

Behind him, Sanchez smiled. "Yeah, we’ve got them. Tour pilots and attack helicopter pilots. I’ve already messaged one to get him over here. Just give him a few minutes to finish up what he was doing."

The helicopter pilots wouldn’t pass up the chance to test fly the one bird that could get them back in the air after so long, and Sanchez was not disappointed by his call.

Three minutes was all it took for the pilot to get across town.

"Sergeant, we hear a bird. Did we find a new fuel source? Tuber oil or something wild?" The pilot asked.

Sanchez shook his head. "Nope, this fine hairy gentleman found a way to make them run on mana. We’ll get you all topped off, and then you can take a short flight to test the systems. Just keep it inside the barrier, as the solar storm is still going on outside."

Matteo gave Sanchez a mock offended look. "I will have you know that I shave every morning."

"I think he meant your back," Yara informed him in her best helpful tone as she came to check out the source of the commotion.

"Did I do something to you in a past life? I’m just catching strays here."

Yara shrugged. "Perhaps it’s just your lot in life. Look at poor Reggie. Such good lineage and he’s still an idiot."

Matteo gave her a smug smile. "You mean he is your idiot. We do not accept that he is as dumb as he looks."

Ignoring their banter, the pilot climbed into the idling helicopter and began checking everything for functionality.

"What did you even change? The whole thing looks new, it’s still got the transport wax on the controls," he called over the noise.

"Just the fuel system. Everything else should be just as it came from the System, but the fuel was originally Jet A, and now it’s mana. Remarkably efficient as well, only 20 per hour," Matteo shouted back.

That was impressive.

At twenty an hour it didn’t take a high-level pilot to keep it running, and it didn’t require outside assistance. Normally, during a combat mission this would have a four-person crew. A pilot, a navigator, and two door gunners.

But it only actually took one person to operate.

Once the preflight checks were finished, the pilot strapped himself in and the turbine began to spool up as he increased throttle before changing rotor pitch to get the machine off the ground.

The flat thump of the rotors was a comforting sound to everyone present as it first lifted off, then moved in a set of lazy turns over the city before landing again.

The blades slowed as the pilot did his final checks, and waited for the turbine to cool before he shut it down completely.

"Well, how was it?"

"Everything appears to be right in line with the original specs. It works beautifully. Now, I would have preferred NOT to test it over a populated area, but given the circumstance, there weren’t many other choices."

Matteo shrugged. "You’re not wrong. I got a bit excited about seeing it fly so quickly that I might have gotten ahead of myself. But now we have a working helicopter, and I can get to work on the rest of the projects sitting on my desk."

Sanchez laughed at the thought. "No, I suspect that you’re going to be putting in a lot of time working on new helicopters because the Coordinator will want us to do as much as we can to salvage the region outside the walls once this solar storm is over.

Now, we should get everything back inside before the wind shifts and leaves us back under the sun."