Enstrom Helicopter is marking 60 years in business on December 22. Over the period, the company has delivered more than 1,300 helicopters to customers in 50 countries. The company’s roots derived from the garage-produced prototypes of Michigan mining engineer Rudy Enstrom in the 1940s and 1950s.
Enstrom was formally incorporated in 1959 and its first production helicopter, the F28, was certified in 1965, beating out the iconic Ford Mustang automobile for “Michigan Product of the Year.” An additional piston-engine model, the 280, was added in the 1970s, the same decade production peaked at 100 aircraft per year from the company’s plant in Menominee, Michigan. Enstrom went on to develop the single-engine turbine model, the 480, in the 1990s.
The company has had multiple ownerships over the years, including Purex Corp., celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey, and inventor Dean Kamen. Today, Enstrom operates from a modern 160,000-sq-ft plant in Menominee and is owned by China’s Chongqing General Aviation Industry Group (CGAG). Current-production models include the F28F and 280FX turbocharged piston engine models and the turbine 480B.
“It’s really an incredible story,” said Enstrom CEO Matt Francour, citing the company’s uninterrupted and continuous six decades of operation without bankruptcy or merger, an anomaly in the light aircraft business. “While the aircraft have changed dramatically, we have the same type certificate and production certificate we’ve had since 1965,” he said.
Enstrom Helicopter marked 60 years in business on December 22. Over the period, the company has delivered more than 1,300 helicopters to customers in 50 countries. The company’s roots derived from the garage-produced prototypes of Michigan mining engineer Rudy Enstrom in the 1940s and 1950s.
Enstrom (Booth 2904) was formally incorporated in 1959, and its first production helicopter, the F28, was certified in 1965, beating out the iconic Ford Mustang automobile for “Michigan Product of the Year.” An additional piston-engine model, the 280, was added in the 1970s, the same decade production peaked at 100 aircraft per year from the company’s plant in Menominee, Michigan. Enstrom went on to develop the single-engine turbine model, the 480, in the 1990s.
The company has had multiple ownerships over the years including the Purex Corporation, celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey, and inventor Dean Kamen. Today Enstrom operates from a modern 160,000-sq-ft plant in Menominee and is owned by China’s Chongqing General Aviation Industry Group Co., Ltd. (CGAG). Current production models include the F28F and 280FX turbocharged piston engine models and the turbine engine 480B.