Until the new Elysian Airline, whose fate is far from certain, started to operate, the only way to fly anywhere in Liberia was by using the United Nations choppers. True, the Mi-8 were old and badly in need of paint, but nevertheless they offered the only way around. Most of the Mi-8 used in service of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) are operated by UT Air, a firm whose safety record is not the best. When UT Air runs short of men and machines, choppers from the Ukrainian aviation unit are also used. The way to tell the difference is by looking at the hips of the crew. If they wear big ugly holsters with automatics in it, they are from the Ukrainian Aviation.
Ugly, lout and ungainly as the choppers might be, they were still the only game in town. But access to the flights was restricted.