U is for UFO
Maru knew that his day was about to go sideways when the park's clinic gave him a shout asking if he could provide a consultation for a UFO, and a moment later, he had four pairs of smokejumpers parked outside of his hangars asking if they could help. They had been so determined to come down to the lodge with him that Dynamite had used her full-on drill sergeant voice to finally get their butts into gear and convince them to go back to work...though Drip watched him with puppy dog eyes from across the tarmac while he packed up his supplies and loaded up in Cabbie.
"So…" Cabbie spoke with amusement once he was up in the air. "What is your bet that half the rangers will come up with excuses to peek in on you as you work this afternoon."
Maru simply let out an exasperated sigh. "I am not making that bet because we both know that half of the rangers are probably prowling the area trying to get a good look."
"Well, we both know that they will be disappointed. UFOs are interesting little rotary wings, but they still are just rotary wings." The old plane let out a warm chuckle. "There is absolutely nothing extraterrestrial about them."
"I know that and you know that, but convincing everyone that we are dealing with an 'Ultimate Flying' Option aircraft instead of an 'Unidentifiable Flying Object' is will always be a lost cause."
"True, true…I am about to enter the pattern. If you need more time to clear your head and get ready to deal with the chaos on the ground, let me know and I will go around."
"No need." Maru stated as he gave himself a good shake. "Might as well get my treads on the tarmac and get to work. Tines crossed I will be able to get this little bird back in the air before the smokejumpers find some excuse to come down to the lodge and ogle."
"Good luck with that." The old plane stated. Moments later there was the sound of tires on the runway and a few rotors beats beyond Cabbie's hatch popped open, bathing Maru in light. The mechanic took a few breaths and then headed out to provide his consult.
Ultimate Flying Option aka UFO – The UFO is a small autogyro manufactured in New Zealand. Autogyros are at type of rotary wing aircraft similar to helicopters, but unlike a helicopter, the rotors are unpowered and produce lift through autorotation. As a result, autogyros such as the UFOs have a rear-mounted propeller that provides the aircraft with forward thrust. Even though autogyros are a particularly rare type of aircraft, they played an important role in the development of the modern helicopter, and pilots are still flying/breaking records with them today. The UFO is an incredibly rare model of aircraft, but if you get really, really lucky you might be able to spot one at a major airshow such as Oshkosh.