Enstrom Helicopter First Flight

Enstrom announces the flight of the first new 480B helicopter after reopening just eight months ago. The turbine-powered 480B is the 1317th Enstrom helicopter built and the 255th 480-series helicopter. This aircraft was not built from an unfinished, leftover airframe but by using components procured, machined, fabricated and assembled onsite.

The stunning black and grey helicopter was piloted by Enstrom production test pilot, Cody Parkovich. “It flew great,” he says. “No issues. We were able to complete all our flight-test steps on schedule. The team did a great job putting this helicopter together.”

Chief operating officer, Adam Richardson, says, “This was a critical milestone in our plan to not just bring back Enstrom but to start to reinvent ourselves and the way we operate. It took all functions to focus on the objective. New supplier relationships, new machinists and fabricators — and luckily many from prior years — better print definitions, a high standard of workmanship, and everyone onsite helping each other cross-functionally to bring us back online.”

Enstrom plans to retain the aircraft and use it to certify new upgrades and planned future improvements.

The new helicopter will be showcased at HAI Heli-Expo at Booth C2820.

For more information, visit www.enstromhelicopter.com.