Enstrom Helicopter
Encyclopedia
The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is an American
design and manufacturing company. It is located at the Menominee
-Marinette
Twin County Airport
(ICAO airport code
: KMNM) in Michigan
. The basic company was founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom, initially as the R.J. Enstrom Corp..
, who wanted to develop a turbine powered
version, something that didn't happen until over 20 years later. The lack of success with this venture led the piston-engined variants to languish, and the Purex stake was bought by F. Lee Bailey
in January 1971, changing to the current name. Bailey was an enthusiastic entrepreneur, and soon had the factory producing over a hundred units per year. He also orchestrated the development and certification of the sleek 280 Shark, which came on the market in 1974. It was an immediate hit. Bailey, encouraged by this success, embarked on a four-place stretch version of the Shark (designated 280L Hawk). But the combination of technical problems with this development and a cooling economy drained the company's reserves, and Bailey sold the company in 1979. Since then it has changed hands several times. Owners have included Victor Kiam
and Dean Kamen
,) developer of the Segway people-mover. Kamen worked to improve the company's existing products and to introduce the turbine-powered 480, which was originally developed as a response to a request for bids on a military training helicopter. The company was sold to an unnamed Swiss investor in 2000; Kamen remained with the company as an advisor.
CEO Jerry M. Mullins was president and CEO for Heli-Dyne Systems Inc.
in Hurst, Texas
before he succeeded the former CEO Peter Parsinen.
Since delivering their first helicopter shortly after Federal Aviation Administration
type certification of the F-28 model in April 1965, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has produced over 1,100 helicopters (as of July 2011). However, the recent slow economy has considerably slowed its output; it built only six units in 2010.
The company produces three models, the F-28, the more aerodynamic 280 and the turbine-engined 480, each with their own variants. The F-28 and 280 are powered by Lycoming
piston engines similar to those found in general aviation
fixed-wing aircraft
.
A hallmark of Enstrom's helicopter designs from the outset has been the lack of exposed pitch change links for the main rotor, as the mechanisms are contained inside the hollow main rotor shaft, lowering aerodynamic drag.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
design and manufacturing company. It is located at the Menominee
Menominee
Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...
-Marinette
Marinette, Wisconsin
Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,749 at the 2000 census.Marinette is the principal city of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marinette County, Wisconsin and Menominee...
Twin County Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
(ICAO airport code
ICAO airport code
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...
: KMNM) in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The basic company was founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom, initially as the R.J. Enstrom Corp..
History
Enstrom began by attempting to design his own helicopter. His lack of training in this area meant that his first efforts were not outstanding, but his efforts were noticed by local Upper Peninsula businessmen, who decided to back him. They recruited several experienced aeronautical engineers, and the group was incorporated as the R. J. Enstrom Co. (1959). 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. In October 1968 a controlling interest in Enstrom was bought by Purex IndustriesPurex (Laundry detergent)
Purex is the brand name of a popular laundry detergent in the United States, Canada and other countries. It is manufactured by the US-based Dial Corporation division of Germany's Henkel Corporation. Purex is one of the most widely used laundry detergents in North America...
, who wanted to develop a turbine powered
Turboshaft
A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine which is optimized to produce free turbine shaft power, rather than jet thrust...
version, something that didn't happen until over 20 years later. The lack of success with this venture led the piston-engined variants to languish, and the Purex stake was bought by F. Lee Bailey
Francis Lee Bailey
Francis Lee Bailey Jr., commonly referred to as F. Lee Bailey, is a former attorney in Massachusetts and Florida. He was a criminal defense lawyer who served as the lawyer in the Sam Sheppard re-trial. He was also the supervisory attorney over attorney Mark J...
in January 1971, changing to the current name. Bailey was an enthusiastic entrepreneur, and soon had the factory producing over a hundred units per year. He also orchestrated the development and certification of the sleek 280 Shark, which came on the market in 1974. It was an immediate hit. Bailey, encouraged by this success, embarked on a four-place stretch version of the Shark (designated 280L Hawk). But the combination of technical problems with this development and a cooling economy drained the company's reserves, and Bailey sold the company in 1979. Since then it has changed hands several times. Owners have included Victor Kiam
Victor Kiam
Victor K. Kiam was an American entrepreneur and the owner of the New England Patriots football team from 1988-1991....
and Dean Kamen
Dean Kamen
Dean L. Kamen is an American entrepreneur and inventor from New Hampshire.Born in Rockville Centre, New York, he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but dropped out before graduating after five years of private advanced research for drug infusion pump AutoSyringe...
,) developer of the Segway people-mover. Kamen worked to improve the company's existing products and to introduce the turbine-powered 480, which was originally developed as a response to a request for bids on a military training helicopter. The company was sold to an unnamed Swiss investor in 2000; Kamen remained with the company as an advisor.
CEO Jerry M. Mullins was president and CEO for Heli-Dyne Systems Inc.
Heli-One
Heli-One is the world’s largest helicopter support company, other than the original manufacturers, and is a subsidiary of CHC Helicopter. The company has more than 900 employees working in Canada, the United States, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.Heli-One is based in Delta, Canada. ...
in Hurst, Texas
Hurst, Texas
Hurst is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. Hurst is one of the Mid-Cities between Fort Worth and Dallas, but is a suburb of Fort Worth. The city was founded by William Letchworth Hurst...
before he succeeded the former CEO Peter Parsinen.
Since delivering their first helicopter shortly after Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
type certification of the F-28 model in April 1965, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has produced over 1,100 helicopters (as of July 2011). However, the recent slow economy has considerably slowed its output; it built only six units in 2010.
The company produces three models, the F-28, the more aerodynamic 280 and the turbine-engined 480, each with their own variants. The F-28 and 280 are powered by Lycoming
Lycoming Engines
Lycoming Engines is a U.S. aircraft engine company, known primarily for its general aviation engines. For most of its history Lycoming has been part of the AVCO group as AVCO Lycoming. In 1987 AVCO was purchased by Textron to become Textron Lycoming...
piston engines similar to those found in general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
.
A hallmark of Enstrom's helicopter designs from the outset has been the lack of exposed pitch change links for the main rotor, as the mechanisms are contained inside the hollow main rotor shaft, lowering aerodynamic drag.
Products
- Enstrom F-28Enstrom F-28|-See also:-References:*-External links:* *...
(piston-engined) - Enstrom 280 (aerodynamically restyled F-28 )
- Enstrom 480Enstrom 480-See also:-References:*-External links:* * *...
(turbine-engined)