The Chinook Factor
Countries with fairly large percentage of their population living in mainly inaccessible terrain find that recourse to aviation is a must, not only during times of natural disasters, but also for good governance, law enforcement and critical logistics requirement. One can get away with fixed use of wing aircraft in deserts and forests, in mountainous territory there is almost no alternative to rotary wing aircraft. The purchase cost/maintenance of helicopters being exponentially higher than fixed wing aircraft, saving of precious lives in a critical time period must overcome qualms about the high costs associated. Praying that disasters come few and far between, one has to plan for the worst.
