BXBX NOVEL Chapter 51: 51 First Flight
Travel agencies, aircraft rental companies, and hunting guide services were registered separately. Although Joe Ga didn't understand the business very well, there was significant financial operational flexibility within them.
SD Bank wasn't very reliable, but SD had many China Banks. As a Chinese in this place who had built such a big business, it should be normal to earn some money, right?
Of course, all of this was still minor play, but for Joe Ga, these were enough for now.
After explaining his ideas to Sayram, who looked at him as if he were an idiot, Joe Ga didn't mind at all and remained in high spirits, wanting to smile at everyone he saw.
The next afternoon, two helicopters landed on the runway of the airport at the coordinates provided by Joe Ga.
After a careful check of the helicopters' condition, Joe Ga paid the pilots and arranged for Sayram to drive them to Kamu so they could take a flight back to Egypt.
Then he personally filled up the 'Little Antelope' with fuel, took Karman and Nis with him, and flew towards Darfur as night fell.
The 'Little Antelope,' when fully fueled, could only fly 800 kilometers. Joe Ga cautiously controlled the aircraft, refueling at a small airport on the outskirts of a city called El Obeid. After 8 hours of flight, they finally arrived above the valley where the arms depot was located as daylight broke.
This flight had a bit of an experimental feel to it. Joe Ga was an experienced mechanic who could monitor the 'Little Antelope's' condition at all times.
But as a novice pilot, he needed to understand how aircraft operations worked in SD.
What surprised him was that there was no such thing as air traffic control here. As long as you weren't circling over Kamu, no one cared about your movements in other cities.
If you wanted to dock at an airport, you just needed to open your radio and shout out, and someone would guide you to land somewhere on the airfield, then charge you an exorbitant docking fee.
On the contrary, fuel wasn't too expensive. After all, Joe Ga had calculated that the aviation fuel here was even cheaper than the 95-octane gasoline back in China.
With fuel costing just over one yuan per liter, flying helicopters turned out to be cheaper than driving in China. Can you believe that?
Joe Ga had always thought helicopters were a high-end luxury. Although he had experienced various bizarre operations in Egypt, coming to SD still felt somewhat fantastical to him.
It was too casual, too simple!
According to the airport ground staff, if you weren't picky, you could completely find a secluded place to dock; just give them a call, and they could drive over to refuel for you.
Of course, the price would be much cheaper than docking at the airport, and those aviation fuels certainly weren't theirs.
"Different strokes for different folks" really wasn't just a saying; you truly wouldn't know how bizarre the world was unless you got your hands dirty.
Joe Ga piloted the 'Little Antelope,' gently landing in the arms depot valley under the glow of the rising sun.
After being away for half a year, other than more dust on the tanks and armored vehicles parked in the open, there were no other changes.
Karman opened the hangar doors, and Joe Ga went in to find a hydraulic cart specially designed to tow helicopters, pulling the little antelope inside.
He then looked at the idle Mi-8 transport aircraft and, rubbing his hands with a smile, said, "We need one Mi-8, Karman and Nis, you're responsible for preparing the munitions, and I'll make sure this big guy gets up and running.
There's a lot of cargo the Nuer people want, we might have to make three trips."
Nis, a bit curious, said, "I can also fly helicopters, you could have prepared two of them."
Joe Ga nodded and said, "I thought of that at first, but I feel that two Mi-8s flying within SD's airspace would be a bit too conspicuous.
Let's test fly one first, and if the route proves safe, we'll use two to transport the remaining cargo next time."
As he spoke, Joe Ga looked around the hangar, with a sense of longing, "It would be great if these helicopters could be sold off. It's just too close to Liberia here, and messing with them still poses a risk.
I'd be better off finding a route to Syria—these things would definitely find buyers there."
Nis looked at Joe Ga and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I suggest not to rush it. Those who can afford and manage helicopters don't need to buy from you, and you can't sell to those who can't afford them no matter how hard you try."
Joe Ga listened and felt she was right; armed helicopters really weren't for some small countries to play with.
It's not that they can't afford them, but the maintenance and associated munitions are too much of a hassle. Having a transport plane fitted with machine guns in the cabin is high-end enough for them.
Putting off the helicopter sale for now, Joe Ga used a detector to find the best-conditioned Mi-8 and managed to get this helicopter ready for action by himself with the help of tools, finally dragging the aircraft out of the hangar and using the refueling truck to fill it up with fuel.
With the aircraft's own tank plus two external fuel tanks, Joe Ga added 3,100 liters of fuel, which could fly about 1,100 kilometers when fully loaded.
While Karman and Nis organized the munitions, Joe Ga tried out the Mi-8 on the open ground in the valley and found that its handling was actually quite good.
Known as the AK47 of helicopters, it was indeed simple and practical.
The accurate model Joe Ga was piloting should be the Mi-8T military transport version.
Removing the 24 seats in the rear would yield a 7-meter-long and 2.4-meter-wide cargo space.
If you looked at the whole aircraft from the side, it actually resembled a giant dragonfly perched on the top of a bus. In comparison to the domineering Mi-28, the Mi-8 was truly like its code name, akin to an amiable 'Hippo'.
But a 'Hippo' in a rage could also be quite terrifying, and if Joe Ga felt the need, he could always opt for one of the other models equipped with weapons racks.
Like the B-8 rocket pods that he had used earlier, this big guy could carry four at once, with the belly and the remaining two mounting points available for anti-tank missiles and more powerful aerial bombs.
However, Joe Ga really dared not be too ostentatious. Just mounting a machine gun and a grenade launcher on the gun racks inside the side doors, he already felt it was enough.
After trying for a few hours, Joe Ga was satisfied with the aircraft's performance and landed it on the open ground, refueling it completely, then found a quiet place in the ammo depot to rest for the night.
The next day, he began loading the munitions onto the aircraft!