Enstrom Helicopter
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The Enstrom Helicopter Corp of Menominee, Michigan was founded in 1959 by lumberjack and mechanic Rudy Enstrom, initially as the R J Enstrom Corp. He receiving financial backing after spending some years developing his own helicopters. In October 1968 a controlling interest in Enstrom was bought by Purex Corp, who wanted to develop a turbine powered version, something that was not to happen for over 20 years after. The lack of success with this venture led the piston engined variants to languish, and the Purex stake was bought by Francis Lee Bailey in January 1971, changing the name to Enstrom Helicopter Corp as we know it today. Bailey sold in 1979 and the company has gone through a number of further changes of ownership since.
Since delivering their first helicopter shortly after Federal Aviation Administration type certification of the F28 model in April 1965, Enstrom helicopter has produced (as of 2007) approx 1,200 aircraft
The company produces three models, the F28, the more aerodynamic F280 and the turbine-engined 480, each with their own variants. The F28 and F280 both use Lycoming piston engines virtually identical to those found in general aviation fixed-wing aircraft, e.g., Cessna 172.
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[edit] Enstrom helicopter models
[edit] F28 models
- F28 - certified April 1965
- F28A - certified May 1968
- F28C - upgraded engine with turbocharger, certified 1975
- F28C-2 - more rounded cabin
- F28F - sometimes known as the 'Falcon', upgraded engine, certified December 1980
[edit] F280 models
This model was a huge design success, with a Boston-based design firm concluding a brief to make the F28 more commercially appealing. This resulted in the F280 later being named by Fortune (magazine) as one of the 25 best factory-made products in the United States.
- F280 Shark - certified September 1975
- F280C Shark - upgraded engine with turbocharger, certified 1975
- F280L Hawk - stretched cabin four-seat version, first flying in December 1968. Development halted due to lack of funds
- F280F - upgraded engine, certified December 1980
- F280FX - externally these can be distinguished by the air intakes on top of the cabin and the end-plates on the horizontal stabilizers
[edit] 480 models
- 480 - was certified in November 1993
- 480B - certified in February 2001. The gross weight and useful load were increased by approximately 150 pounds.
This turbine engined variant started life as the TH-28 in response to the United States Army NTH New Training Helicopter requirement, and was further developed into a product the company was able to sell into the civilian marketplace. It features the C20W variant of the Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine.
Sales of Enstrom helicopters have historically been targeted at the civil market. However, there have been some notable exceptions with orders of 10 or more units to the following military forces - Chilean Air Force, Army of Peru, Colombian National Army, Venezuelan Air Force and Indonesian National Police.
