Author's Note: Apologies for the late post. As mentioned at the beginning of the story, my health has not been where I wanted it to be. I ended up having a major flare-up last week and was barely able to finish work, let alone anything else. Things have calmed again so my new goal is to get this story posted by the end of the year.
V is for Vapor
Blade couldn't help but make a frustrated clicking sound through his teeth as he circled the suspected crash site. It was up a blind canyon, and between the trees and the shear canyon sides, there was no way for the helicopter to safely get a closer look. He was also loathed to send the smokejumpers repelling down those overhanging cliffs unless he was 100% sure they had actually located the missing car. There was just too much risk
He sighed. Even though his instincts screamed that he should be doing everything he could to swoop in and make the rescue, he knew that his instincts shouldn't apply here. Even if the vehicle that he suspected was at the bottom of this crevasse had survived their fall, they wouldn't have survived the down there for the four years that they had been missing. Still…it was important to bring this car home and finally bring closure to a family that was left in a perpetual holding pattern, wondering if their family member was alive or dead.
Glancing upward at the twin-boomed aircraft circling above him. Blade allowed himself to admit defeat. It was a miracle that Cabbie had spotted something down in this fissure in the first place, but the sun had been at just the right angle to glint off of a piece of glass or metal, and eagle-eyed aircraft had instantly realized that he might have discovered the answer to an ongoing mystery.
Unfortunately, it appeared that it was going to be a mystery that would be left unsolved for at least a few more days. The Piston Peak Air Attack team were simply ill-equipped to take on this particular problem, but they had a MOA with an organization that did have the specialized personnel to properly search the narrow canyon.
Notifying Cabbie that it was time to head back to base, Blade turned his nose towards home with the knowledge that it was time to call in the local sheriff's department to see if they could borrow a few of their Vapor search and rescue drones for a couple of hours.
VAPOR 55 MX – The Vapor 55 MX is an all-electric drone helicopter. This unmanned aircraft system that is primarily used for scientific or search and rescue purposes. This particular model is particularly interesting because it is specifically designed to carry a payload of up to 20 pounds (~10 kg) for up to 75 minutes. It is also capable of functioning up to 19 miles (~30 km). While not as expensive as a full aircraft, if you want to purchase this drone it will cost you more than the average car.