Scootaloo flys a HUEY
Scootaloo flys a HUEY
The morning at the barn was cold , crisp and clear. The rays of the sun just breaking the horizon.
Dew covered the machine glistening off the cherry red paint. My cup of coffee warm and inviting it's too little for any other day, Too much for now.
A breeze flapped the blades till the static stops bumped, Rocking everything gently. I sit in the pilots seat biding my time, All of the items of the check list done. I think back to all the foals who said I could never do this, Even my big Sis said even if I never flew I Would still be awesome, Horse apples! I swallow the last bit and toss the drippings out the side.
I started this because they all said I couldn't , Now I do it because I can. Like every day, Times up.
I stow my thermos away in the pouch by the radios, This thing seriously needs a cup holder.
I hit the master switch bringing to life the nervous system of this machine, Relays click, Gyros hum, I push the idle detent switch and roll the throttle to the start position, To full top stop and back to the idle start position.
One press of the master caution test, OK. I grip the cyclic and stir the pot and set it to a central point,
Start fuel on , I hear the relays and boost pumps change their tune,
Looking out to see the blades are untied and the general area unobstructed .I call out "CLEAR".
I pull the start trigger and hear the clunk of the starter taking up the slack in the meshing gears, A whine grows in the spine of the beast as the igniters crack out each second 'tack tack crack whoomp'. Behind the roof a polished exhaust stack belches out a ball of black smoke, The whine becomes a scream, A hiss of a bleed valve closes as the acceleration continues .
The blades slowly turn in sync with the noise, woump, woump woump The gages come to life,
Turbine out let temperature peaking in the yellow, Revolutions of gas producer speed pass the forty percent ,
I release the trigger and flip the start fuel off.
The acceleration in the fuel control continues , I roll the throttle to full on then back to the idle stop. The blades are loud now as they cut into the mornings silence,wop wop WOP WOP WOP . The rocking fuselage is enough to put a baby to sleep If it wasn't for the howling engine and the slap of the turning blades.
Everything's feeling and sounding good, Nothings falling off or grinding it self to bits,
Time to pour the coals to it.
Watching the torque gage I twist the throttle open. The low rotor RPM horn sounds as the speed reaches below the minimums for flight and quits sounding as the needle hits the green arc. I roll to the max and adjust the final speed with the INCR DECR switch.
The rocking now has passed giving way to a vertical bounce in tune with the spinning blades above.
I check my belts and adjust the seat for the best position , My jiggley parts in tempo with the beat that runs
through the ship.
I look at the rotor blades tip path and move the controls a little bit and watch for the proper reactions .
Satisfied with everything I give Big Mac a hooves up.
Yea , Ol Big Mac, After hookin up with Flutters we all thought he would go out in a diabetic coma ,
I've never seen such a quiet dude , Now he's become even more silent , If that was ever possible.
I pull up my left hoof , Wrapping it over the collective switch box, The bounce in the airframe lessens and
I concentrate on a vertical pick up, A little left peddle , More collective.
The rotorwash increases and the beast rears up on it's aft skids the nose raising up a scoash ,
Everything stable ,Gages in the green, I pull a little more pitch, I can feel everything, The hum of the gyros,
Hydraulics adding strength to my hooves, The fuel boost pumps gushing life to the engine,
It's governor and gears whizzing ,sliding and singing like Octavias orchestra
all the different pieces in proper tune. The music of mechanical flight.
I wiggle the stick and feel her out for the sweet spot, Finding it I pull power up until the torque gage
needle dances over the five minute mark.
My perspective changes from looking across the ground and the under side of the apple trees to the familiar
sight of a birds eye view.
I ease the cyclic forward and the nose dips a little, The tops of the trees drift behind me out of sight as a panorama
of my trip rolls out ahead. one hundred hooves up and climbing to my target height of five hundred hooves.
I can see everything from my mechanical E-Z boy , Cruising along I glance down over my lower door sill,
My first check point passes below, the old CMC tree house. Thoughts of younger times come to me.
I lower collective to get out of the five minute limit, Cruise power from here out.
Don't see Sweetie much anymore , Her singing gigs and concerts take a lot of her time.
Hopefully on her off season we'll get together, As for Bloom I see her almost everyday.
She swings wrenches like Twilight casts spells, She has an inspection scheduled for later today.
*
A little bump in the air? Yep, The sun's getting higher stuffs warming up a bit.
I feel good about the coming job, A few minutes and I'll see the site ,A new building, New jobs for everypony
and more bits in my pocket. I get paid to fly, Funny how everypony said I couldn't, My wings too small,
No magic mojo. Big Sis has her sonic rainboom, I have my blades beating the quit out of my neighborhood.
The scene changes every minute , Red, yellow and brown leafed trees , Green grasses and the earthy
toned dirt paths that weave through the fields like a spiders web.
Cruising along I can smell the apples, fruits , flowers and the cooking ! In the homes ,In the restaurants
Yes. The cooking , Bar B - Qs the Oat burgers, Everything , Sights sounds and smells, Leaning out into
the slip stream is a treat. Unlike other pegasus I don't have to work at it, My machine does it all.
They gathered at the factorys north lot, Caution tapes and barriers kept the Landing Zone open
and the building emptied of the nonparticipating ponies.
The air conditioners and other construction supplies were prestrapped and set for lifting.
Miss Bloom and her crew had arrived before sun up busting plots to make sure everything doesn't go sideways.
The waiting crowd could hear the tale tell sound of the approaching helicopter it's blades slapping the cool air.
The buzz in the group like the beast grew louder as it got closer. Craning their necks looking above the trees
they saw a flickering speck. It was smaller than the lumbering airships of the day. But it flew like it had purpose .
It came like it was gliding on rails hidden in the air. The details of red and silver appeared as the machine bared
down on its target.
I can see the L Z ahead , cleared, clean and open. A nice little bunch milling around waiting for the show.
I lower the collective and put in a little aft cyclic to slow the beast down a bit. I loosen the shoulder strap on
the out board side and snake my head and upper body out into the real world, I feel the rush of the wind.
Even with my visor down the blast of air tickles my fur ,itches eyes and tugs on the exposed hair on my mane.
Like stepping out of the shower, A shiver crawls up my spine, It feels fresh !
The airframe shudders as she goes out of cruise flight . I add a little power as it slips out of translational lift.
Slowing to a high hover and in my new laid out position I look down vertically to my landing zone I clear the area
with my mach one eyeballs. The machine settles a bit as I add a little left hoof for trim and wrapping my
left forehoof under the collective I regrip it and add a little pinch of power.
She shudders a little as she slows a bit more.
My goal is to finish at a head high hover over the carriage lot. No need to land, We're just doing a hovering
hook up. I quickly glance the cockpit over, Pickle switch 'armed' a last minute of house cleaning
show I have plenty of fuel, All in the green and no caution lights.
Holding a hover is second nature, Just two and a half tons floating above Miss Bloom.
She has the wire rope thimble and eye ready to go, She trots under out of view for a second.
Just a flick of a hoof is all it takes. Bloom tugs on the hanging line and tests the hook. A- OK
I see her step out of my shadow and flash a hooves up. All's cool and set to go.
A pull of power brings a vertical climb, Watching the line uncoil upwards like a snake below, Till the
remote hook is balancing on it's very end.
My sight picture looks a little off, Time to adjust a little to get over to where the hooks in the sweet spot.
I pull my left hoof up a tad and cup my right fore hoof on the top of the cyclic stick between my knees ,
Dancing hooves on the controls and peddles , The sweet found, I get the hook off the ground and away we go.
*
Hook and machine waltzes over the carriage lot, Bloom is standing ready at the first pick.
The roof crew standing around the roof curb doing the the same.
From my vantage point everything comes into focus each unit lined up waiting on the ground and each curb
on the roof wanting to be filled.
Unit number one already strapped , Hovering above I place the hook into Blooms out stretched hoof.
'Click' I power up and the slack in the strap goes stiff. Bloom circles her hoof over her head,
I glance to where I need to go.
Flying the load underneath I point the nose to the right and hovering sideways the load follows, Up up
and away off the lot and over the edge of the roof as it tags along for the decent to the waiting hooves of the crew.
I can place it to with in a tails thickness and the nudging help of the workers below line it up to the curb
with exacting precision , A worker slips the strap off the hook. One down eleven more to go.
No need to waste time and turn around, I just add a little aft cyclic and pull collective to raise everything
over the work area. No need to drag anything over the brand new roof.
The hook clears everything and everypony as the whole pile of parts floats backwards to the next pick.
Centering the stick I let her coast to Bloom the hook swings on target , Waste high and with in a hooves length
of the unit. The strap drops into the throat of the hook and the closure snaps shut . Another circling hoof
above Blooms head and the cycle of lift continues.
PoP corn PEANUTS and Cracker Jack
The show continued for the crowd gathered beyond the tapes and barriers,
The bucking and swaying of the bright red dragon fly like machine set a quick pace of supplies going
up to the roof and an empty hook returning down,
With the exception of the occasional trip down of bundled excess straps to be used for future lifts.
Everypony watches Scootaloo the wing derped pegasus maneuver her machine. Like a conductor putting on
an Opera , The blades of the fat lady weaving through the air under Little Squirts complete control.
Rainbow taught her the basics years ago, As cool as it was, Even with all her help, Dashie couldn't get
Scoots wings to work, Her big sis never gave up on her.
The age of technology caught up to everypony and Scootaloos wings became this machine of Blooms ambitions.
It was a big red flying farm truck, air borne crane and part time limousine .
In winters it blew air to protect the crops from the fruit killing frost.
In the spring it sprayed para sprite bait and on the off day it would whisk Sweetie Belle to her concerts.
Now Sweetie owns a newer, faster ,classier fru fru ride.
Todays contract was with Sweeties big sister to have a turn with the flying farmers buck wagon.
Her business grew by leaps and bounds, This was her new factory and she insisted that no cost was spared
to the well being of her workers and staff, All modern thinking and a touch of fashion.
Who knew that finding her prince charming would lead her to new found riches and notoriety .
Spike carried a bundle through the crowd watching the flying circus, Pick after pick everypony was amused by
Scootaloos performance.
The red beast was beating the air as it's vents were puffing small streams of vapor,
Back and forth up and down each air conditioner was picked from the carriage lot and gently placed on the roof,
Twilight was surprised that each lift cycle was under ninety seconds for a total of under an hour and forty eight minutes!
Rarity was pleased that her workers and construction crews wouldn't be inconvenienced with a long down time.
The mane six grouped together in the crowd their children in tow. They watched the finish of the work
above the factory and the flying red hen came to rest in the now empty carriage lot, The noise slowly ebbed as
the whine and wop was replaced with the quiet creaking and plinking of cooling metal.
A fuel bowser was put aside the resting beast , Feeding time for the work done just moments ago.
*
The caution tape was removed and the throng of ponies were allowed to come close to the shining red
machine, It had the metallic smell of a new carriage and a small blast furnace.
A pegasus flew in and advanced to the flyer of this mechanical buzzard, "Hi ya Squirt . I'm from the
E-questrian A-viation A-dministration and this is a ramp check!"
I turn from my thermos of coffee to see my big sis "Oh Horse fritters!" is all I say as I give my big sis a
bigger hug.
"Scoots not now!" Rainbow said " I'm on official business" She laughs out "Need to see the usual stuff"
I pull out the lift plan, My certificate , medical and the beasts papers. Same ol same ol.
As she looks over the documents we get to catch up on family business.
Twilights dating some egg headed professor in astrophysics up in Canterlot University .
Big Mac and Flutters were arguing over the farm crops being attacked by some of Shys habitat animals.
Pinkie was being herself and dating anything on legs, Bulk B, Iron Will, Hayseed Turnip Truck ,
Everypony had been waiting when Sandwich would ever find out. Pinkie was always a wild partymare.
Apple Jack was still married to the farm, I think she has a special farm hoof keeping her happy.
But she ain't telling.
Spike approached the machine still holding his bundle "Wow, Scootaloo, you and Apple Bloom sure
know your stuff!"
I answer "Hi Spike, Who's that with you?" His eyes light up "Just Ruby our first little one".
The whole of Ponyville knew the worst kept secret that some dragon had the hots for a certain unicorn.
Rarity approached giving Spike a quick peck on the cheek. "Hello Scootaloo darling I believe this is yours"
She placed an over stuffed envelope in my hooves "For a job well done, I've never seen such a sight in my life
Bravo , Scootaloo bravo".
Rainbow interrupts our little conversation "Hay Rars, You seem to be letting yourself go a little,
you look a bit pudgy ".
"Rainbow, How could you?" Rarity gasped "I'm just being a little more procreative, My Spikey just can't keep
his claws off of me".
Dashie floated about "Your second?".
"Why stop there?" Rarity beamed "I'm at my procreative best ! Beautiful offspring ,Exotic fashions and
My Knightly prince ! I'm famous all over Equestria!"
I let out a loud "Excuse me, I've got to get back to the barn. Congratulations to you Mrs. The Dragon".
*
Rainbow and Miss Bloom start to clear the LZ. I could see them and the couple talking to Dashie. I hop
back into my easy chair in my flying office and stuff the payment in my lower fetlock pocket.
After the usual checks and so on I look around to see the hooves up "CLEAR !"
The beast belches a puff of black smoke and everything swings to life, All in the green, Belly hook clear.
I roll it up to a hundred percent Nr and see Rainbow showing me crossed hooves and coming my way.
"What the heck" What's wrong? Rainbow leans into me and yells as I pull on my ear cup to listen.
"You all are invited to our double baby shower in two weeks" Rainbow winks "Be sure to invite the gang"
She dismounts the helicopter and steps away giving me a hooves up.
Pulling max power I do a vertical climb with a nine sixty right peddle spin and in seconds I'm at cruise altitude.
Time to fly , Time surely flys when you have a life and a job to keep you busy . Getting paid to have fun.
"Ponyville municipal tower , Helicopter november one zero tango echo , Five leagues to the south
transitioning to the red barn, Good morning".
TWR "Good morning zero tango echo, Transition approved altimeter two niner niner zero , Winds calm".
"Hay, Derpy is that you?".
"Sure as muffins"
"If Dashie hasn't contacted you , Call me on the land line, You're invited to a double baby shower, Over".
I started this because they said I couldn't fly. I do it now because I can. and I make bits. Lots of bits.
"Whoa" 'How did I miss that?' "A double baby shower!" Dashie's going to be a Mom?"
End
