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Enstrom 480b
DALLAS—Enstrom hopes to achieve certification of a crash-resistant fuel system on its turbine-engine 480 helicopter family in June, paving the way for follow-on approval of the piston-powered 280XF and clearing the company to resume sales to the U.S. market.
Enstrom has been unable to access its home market since the FAA mandated crash-resistant fuel systems (CRFS) for all aircraft built and sold in the U.S. after April 2020. FAA approval of the system will therefore be a huge boost to the light helicopter company, which emerged from Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 2022.
CEO Todd Tetzlaff says work on gaining approval for the turbine versions is close to completion. “We have got two outstanding documents for the turbine that we’re working closely with the FAA on, so that’s imminent. All the testing is complete, and it’s all been successful. The piston is right behind it.”
“We are going to start delivering aircraft to the U.S. market here in the third quarter, so somewhere between July and September,” says Charles Wade, Enstrom’s senior vice president of product, sales and customer excellence. “I want to put a call out for dealers. If you are interested in being an Enstrom dealer or an Enstrom service center, please get in touch.”
The Menominee, Michigan-based manufacturer also is rebuilding its engineering and production staff since being rescued from bankruptcy following a downturn in helicopter sales and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Backed by music retail entrepreneur Chuck Surack, Enstrom has resumed production and expects to produce up to 16 aircraft this year, of which around five will be the company’s newly unveiled 480B Elite variant.
As well as special interior trim and paint schemes, the Elite—which was debuted at the Verticon rotorcraft industry gathering here in Dallas—will feature an all-glass instrument panel with a Garmin G500H TXi touchscreen display, GTN750 GPS navcom (or optional GTN650), ADS-B In/Out, Genesis three-axis autopilot and air conditioning.
“The 480B Elite is something that Mr. Surak has had in mind since he bought the company—an easy-to-fly, easy-to-learn and easy-to-acquire aircraft for the marketplace with unmatched style and comfort,” Wade says.
Wade also confirms that Enstrom plans to compete with the 480B for the U.S. Army’s emerging contest to refresh its rotary-wing training fleet. A request for proposals for the Army’s Flight School Next initiative is expected as early as April and could lead to a replacement for the service’s twin-engine UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter.
“We have started conversations with several potential primes,” for the upcoming contest, says Wade, who adds that the “baseline” 480B will be proposed, incorporating an instrument flight rules cockpit display. The aircraft would be used for rotary-wing training at the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Novosel, Alabama.
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