Reopen Rust's Air Wolf vendorby repairing the helipad

If Air Wolf will not sell you a minicopter in Rust, check its helipad before collecting more Scrap. On servers using the new default rules, everyone is locked out until players repair the landing pad with a Hammer and building resources. This guide covers the Steam PC game's Livestock Update, released on 1 October 2026. Community servers can change the repair requirement; this is not a Rust Console Edition procedure.

Check the pad before bringing resources

Go to Air Wolf at Bandit Camp and speak to the air vehicle vendor. If the pad is still in disrepair, the October rule prevents the vendor selling aircraft to anyone. Facepunch's official image shows the landing surface covered with broken boards and rope. Repairing that shared structure is the prerequisite, rather than repairing a helicopter you already own.

If aircraft are already available to buy, skip the repair trip. Another player or group may have completed it: the pad stays repaired for the duration of that wipe. You do not have to contribute personally to gain access once it is open. Likewise, an administrator can disable the requirement, so an immediately available vendor does not mean your game missed the update.

Bring the shared repair materials

The full repair requires the resources below. Facepunch set these amounts in its 23 September development commit, and Rustafied's 1 October update reporting corroborates them. They are the bill for the whole helipad, shared across contributors. They are not a fee each buyer must pay or a replacement for the aircraft's purchase price.

Take a Hammer and keep the repair materials in your inventory when you approach the pad. The documented method transfers resources from that inventory into the structure. If other players have been contributing, do not assume the untouched-pad total is still outstanding. Check its current state before transporting another full load. Keep your aircraft-buying Scrap separate in your planning: completing the public repair opens the shop, but does not award a vehicle.

Use the Hammer on the helipad

Equip the Hammer and hit the damaged helipad itself. Facepunch describes this as the same kind of resource-contribution process used to construct siege weapons. You are putting carried materials into the landing pad, so target that structure rather than the vendor, shop wall or an aircraft. Other players can contribute towards the same repair.

Continue contributing until the pad is repaired, then return to the air vehicle vendor and check that aircraft purchases are available. This is the useful confirmation: you have removed the repair gate. It opens access for everyone on the server, including players who brought no materials. Facepunch says the completed pad remains repaired for this wipe, so there is no documented recurring repair payment for each subsequent purchase.

Check server rules if the result differs

If your server behaves differently, ask its administrator whether it uses the default helipad rule. Facepunch documents vehicle.padrepairsrequired: setting it to false removes this requirement. It also documents vehicle.setrepairablepads, with 0 forcing pads into disrepair and 1 marking them repaired. These are administrator controls, not a player command to unlock a helicopter on someone else's server.

If the pad is confirmed repaired but the vendor still refuses a purchase, this repair route has reached its limit. Check the purchase requirements shown in the conversation and give the administrator the server name, pad state and vendor response. The October documentation confirms the repair gate; it does not establish a universal fix for every vendor failure. Do not spend another complete repair bill solely because a purchase remains unavailable.