HLM -Chapter 740 Choosing a Helicopter

The Commander was lying on the ground playing dead. Wang Bo and Eva ignored him, both focused on studying the Commissioner’s bloodline.

At that moment, Er Pang saw them and quietly sneaked over with ill intentions, his eyes glinting as he stared fixedly at the Commander.

The Commander reacted quickly, flipping over in a flash and spreading his wings, shouting angrily, “Ah! Trying to eat the Commander? No way!”

Wang Bo thought it was impossible for the Commissioner to be a double-yellow-headed Amazon—it was far too rare, and it was on New Zealand’s banned sale and purchase list.

Yet, looking at the feathers on his head, they were unmistakably pale yellow. If they grew fully, it would look like he was wearing a yellow cap on his head—the most distinctive feature of a double-yellow-headed Amazon.

Seeing that both were focused on the Commissioner, the Commander flew into Eva’s palm, using his fat bottom to push the Commissioner aside, and said plaintively, “Ah, Commander is being good! Ah, won’t curse anymore.”

Eva lazily pushed him aside and asked deliberately, “No more cursing from now on?”

Commander: “Ah, Commander is being good!”

Thanks to his secondary soul-heart, the Commander was indeed far smarter than an ordinary parrot. It was an intelligence advantage, giving him self-control. In the following two days, his speech contained far fewer swear words.

Bartier had just returned from attending a Southern Hemisphere financial and economic conference in Sydney. Seeing this change, he was surprised: “Huh, why isn’t the little parrot cursing anymore?”

The Commander opened his mouth: “Ah, your mom—ah, so pretty! Ah, Commander is being good!”

Wang Bo laughed heartily and put him on his shoulder: “If you dare curse again, I won’t care. I’ll give your little nest to the Commissioner, along with your toys.”

The Commander flapped his wings anxiously: “Ah, won’t curse! Ah, no giving!”

The Commissioner flew out. Bartier suddenly realized: “So that’s it. The Commander is no longer the only baby—you now have competition. Looks like the topic of our conference was right: competition is a necessary way to ensure a healthy market.”

Wang Bo had something to discuss with Bartier, saying, “Bartier, come to the study for a moment. I have something I want your advice on.”

Bartier casually asked, “What is it? An investment? Finally figured it out? Money sitting in the bank only depreciates; investing is the best way to grow it.”

Wang Bo smiled bitterly: “What growth? I don’t have money to grow anything. I’ve already spent most of it. It’s like this—I want to buy a helicopter and wanted your guidance.”

Bartier shrugged: “I can actually help you here. I’m a board member of the New Zealand Helicopter Association.”

Wang Bo: “That’s perfect.”

“Tell me your requirements and conditions, and I’ll give you a few recommendations. Remember, once it’s done, you owe me a big meal.”

Wang Bo laughed: “No problem. I’ll treat you to something you’ve never had.”

“I don’t want a super expensive helicopter. No real business use. Budget around one to two million. Main priorities: bigger cabin, longer cruising range, cooler appearance. Don’t care much about power or decorations.”

Hearing this, Bartier said: “How big? How long a range? How many seats? What style? You need to give me precise parameters.”

“As for your budget,” he added, “you won’t get a twin-engine with that. Only single-engine helicopters are feasible.”

Wang Bo thought for a moment: “Seats for four or five people is enough. Moderate speed—around 250–260 km/h. Style: casual. Cruising range: 600–700 km, maybe?”

Bartier said: “Not high requirements. A good single-engine helicopter can meet that. But I suggest spending more for a twin-engine; otherwise, you may need to replace it later.”

“How much more?”

“Up to five million NZD.”

Wang Bo hesitated: “I really don’t have much left. Most of my money went into the lakeside villa project.”

As soon as he said this, Bartier perked up: “You’re building villas by the lake? Save me one. Show me the design later and I’ll pick a spot.”

“No problem,” Wang Bo said happily, relieved. He had worried that the villas might not sell, but Bartier’s confidence reassured him.

“If you want to limit the price under two million, I recommend the EC series or Bell series. For EC: EC120 or EC135. For Bell: Bell 206 or Bell 407.”

Bartier opened his laptop and logged into the association’s website for Wang Bo.

“These four helicopters are commonly used in New Zealand, which also means easier maintenance if something goes wrong. Even if nothing breaks, maintenance is still necessary, right?”

“Bell 206 is the cheapest, about 1.8 million before tax. Seats: 1+6. Range: 600 km. Speed: 215 km/h. Max altitude: 4,000 m.”

“Bell 407 flies the highest—5,500 m. Faster too, 250 km/h. Same range of 600 km. Price about 2 million.”

“EC120: longest range, over 700 km, but sacrifices speed—slowest, just reaches 200 km/h. Altitude moderate, around 5,000 m.”

“EC135 is multipurpose—can mount sprayers, radars, cameras. Nice, right? But speed and range are shortest.”

Wang Bo asked: “Isn’t EC120 multipurpose?”

“Military version is. Civilian version needs modification—over 2 million, at least 2.4 million NZD.” Bartier showed a modified EC120, purple-black body, camera underneath, very sleek.

“If you want a multipurpose helicopter, price doubles. I recommend EC135 series.”

“EC-135 is a high-performance, light twin-engine multipurpose helicopter, widely used worldwide. First production model entered service in Germany in 1996. Over 300 units fly in 27 countries among more than 100 clients.”

“Even now, police and internal affairs continue purchasing. Czech police ordered eight, Romanian police and EMS five, New Zealand police two for AOS reconnaissance.”

Wang Bo asked: “How much is it?”

“Five million NZD.”

“Too expensive,” Wang Bo hesitated. “Faster? Longer range? Higher altitude?”

“Exactly the opposite—it’s slower, shorter range, flies lower!”