The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is a Chinese-owned design and manufacturing company, based at the Menominee-Marinette Twin County Airport in Michigan, United States. The company was founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom, initially as the R.J. Enstrom Corp.
The company's first product was the piston-powered F-28 (1965). However, Enstrom had been removed from the company before that product came onto the market, although the company continued to carry his name.
The company produces three models, the F-28, the more aerodynamic 280 and the turbine-engined 480, each with their own variants.
Enstrom 480
The Enstrom 480 is a small, light helicopter, introduced in 1993. The fuselage consists of a welded steel-tube framework with aluminum cover and tailcone. The pilot controls the aircraft from the left seat, which is unusual for helicopters. The aircraft does not have a hydraulic system; a trim system absorbs rotor feedback and allows the pilot to position the desired stick setting. The 480B engine is capable of producing 420 shp (shaft horse power), but in this application it is derated to 305 shp for 5 minutes and to 277 continuous shp, which is available to 13,000 feet MSL (Median Sea Level) on a standard day. Thus hot-temperature or high-altitude operations have a considerable degree of power available. The engine drives a three-bladed rotor of 32 feet diameter and a tail rotor of 5 feet diameter. The main rotor and hubs weigh a total of 300 pounds, so there is considerable inertia in the system during a loss of power. Autorotation landings are uneventful.
Enstrom 480 TH-28, registration PH-PHA, built 1995, serial number 5015 Zeelandbrug, Zierikzee, Netherlands, 6 September 2016
