Q is for Quadcopter

Dalmatian Toadflax had been introduced to North America for erosion management but its toxic leaves and deep roots had rapidly turned it into an invasive species of concern in all of the National Parks it had been planted in. Most of these parks were able to manage their Toadflax issue with a combination of pulling and chemicals, but geothermal parks like Yellowstone and Piston Peak ran into a problem that stopped their weed management program in its tracks…they couldn't safely remove Toadflax directly around the geothermal features.

For decades the answer had simply been to manage things the best they could, knowing full well that the invasive plant species would always have be able to produce/spread seeds from the geothermal areas. But eventually, technology gave the park the tool they needed to solve the issue in front of them, and it utterly fascinated members of the Piston Peak Air Attack Team.

"They are so tiny…" Drip looked down at the little flock of Quadcopters that had just been assigned to their base for the next month.

"They are absolutely adorable." Pinecone practically gushed as she leaned over to try to catch a closer look, which caused the four tiny aircraft to press themselves close together as the much larger vehicle towered over them.

"All of you, please give your new colleagues some room." Blade finally put his tire down when he noticed just how tightly the smokejumpers were surrounding the much smaller craft. The jumpers grumbled a bit but backed up. Only once Blade was sure that they were not going to rush right back in did the helicopter scan the little quadcopters' markings until he found the one that matched the team leader. "Flit, would you mind joining me in my hanger?"

"Of course." The tiny craft kicked herself into a hover, gave her fellow quadcopters a sympatric look, and then indicated that she was ready to follow.

Blade just gave a quiet nod and started to roll towards his hangar. He was halfway there when he glanced back only to see the quadcopter struggling to keep up with him.

"Would you like a ride?" Blade asked, putting out a stabilizer in her direction.

"Thank you, sorry about that." Flit breathed as she perched on Blade's stabilizer. "Your base is a bit bigger than we are used to."

"They haven't had you operate out of an airport before?"

"No…" The tiny craft shrugged. "Normally aircraft don't really like us operating too close to them as we are too small for us to easily spot when we are in flight, and we are too slow to move out of their way if we spot them in time."

"I can see that." Bladed hummed softly to himself as he pushed open his hangar door. "A lot of aircraft aren't that fond of flying around firefighting aircraft as well. Too many flight restrictions, I guess."

Once the door was closed, he motioned for his guest to find a place to settle in. She took to the air scanning her surroundings for a good perch before deciding to alight on Blade's desk. After she was settled Blade asked if she would like some refreshment.

"Coffee or tea would be fine…but just a small cup and…and with a lot of sugar in it." Flit blushed slightly and refused to meet his eyes as she made her request.

Blade made a quick call over the radio for Maru to grab them some coffee. It didn't take long for the mechanic to arrive and Flit's face light up when she saw a cup that was just her size. At the quadcopter's positive response, Blade quietly let out the breath he had been holding. He was incredibly grateful that he had chatted with Cabbie about what types of preparations they should make to accommodate their tiny visitors, and the old plane had informed them that they really needed to get a set of dinnerware that would meet their guest size.

That suggestion had led them to borrow a child's tea set from one of the ranger families who lived by the lodge. It was a tacky little set with Disney princess plaster across the sides of the cups and plates, but Flit appeared thrilled to simply have something she could easily drink from. In addition to the coffee, Blackout had clearly done some baking and there was a little plate of cookies just right for the quadcopter to easily eat along with a larger plate with cookies clearly made to meet Blade's dimensions.

"Thank you." Flit allowed her eyes to flick between Blade and Maru. "I will admit that I was really nervous about being embedded here…there were simply so many unknowns. But it seems you have already put a lot of thought into hosting us."

Maru actually chuckled softly at that comment. "Well, most of the people here know what it is like to navigate a world that really isn't built for them, so thinking about this stuff is kind of second nature to us."

"That said." Blade gave Maru a pointed look, before giving Flit a warm smile. "If you find anything that we have missed, please let us know. We probably will not be able to get additional supplies in, but my people are incredibly skilled at jury-rigging solutions."

"I am sure." Flit returned his smile. "I guess we probably should start with where my people will be roosting for the night and from there, we can start planning out a work schedule."

"Alright." Blade cleared his throat as he rolled out a map of the base. "We initially were planning on putting you and your team in our guest hangar…but given the size of the base, I want to give you some other options. For example, we could bunk you all with the smokejumpers which would drastically reduce your travel distance to the latrines and main hangar…"

For the rest of the afternoon Blade and Flit worked out the logistics. By the time they were finished both aircraft had gained an increased respect for each other and both were looking forward to working together in the days to come.

Term – Quadcopter – A quadcopter is a type of helicopter that achieves lift through the use of four rotors. While there are some large-scale experimental quadcopters, most tend to be small drones or UAVs. Even though quadcopters are often tiny compared with other types of aircraft, they have proven to be a valuable tool for photo surveys, search and rescue operations, and plant species management. Even though your feet are firmly on the ground, many quadcopters still require a pilot's license to operate.