What the bloody hell goes wrong with them!

[Kleenex]

Something I've been interested in recently is the amount of mechanical problems that come from flying turbine type helicopters, particularly military models.

You hear things about a Blackhawk or Apache helicopters needing 10 hours maintainence for every 1 hours flying.

Is it just the workload needed by such machines causing extra stress on the airframe, or are these production problems with such helicopters?

Thanks for any info!

[jayteeto]

All helicopters and aeroplanes need to be maintained, some models more than others. Most of the problems with these military models come down to where they operate and what kit is fitted. Running jet engines in the desert or in the field is not like operating from nice clean airfields in europe. The sand gets EVERYWHERE, hence extra engineering time. Avionics do not like extremes of humidity or temperature and are tempremental at the best of times. Also, because the mil like to fly with everything working as near to 100% as is possible, they TRY not to carry snags. (This might get a funny response, I did say TRY).
Helicopters are much more complex than aeroplanes and are expensive to keep in the air, if you do not want to pay then stay away and buy a plane. (This will only burn a big hole in your pocket, instead of a HUGE one)