Unsurprisingly, helicopters are very complex and require a lot of maintenance– constant, ongoing maintenance is pretty much every day. But every so often, even if the aircraft is flying perfectly normally, it goes into “phase”, or regularly scheduled maintenance phases where it is stripped down and thoroughly inspected inside and out.

“Phase” takes time; depending on the level of inspection being carried out, it could take over a month. Since the helicopter is out of service and won’t be going anywhere for a long period of time, little bits and parts can be “borrowed” and used to keep other aircraft at flight-ready status. This was very important in KFOR, where we had a limited number of helicopters and no easy access to replacements, so keeping aircraft on flight status is very important.

But all the helicopters are being used nearly constantly, so parts wear out quicker than usual, and the demand for those little “bits & pieces” can be pretty high. Maybe even “strip it down to the wheels” high.

Although in truth, the wheels might actually be the first to go.