Enstrom has made the initial flight of its first new-production 480B since reopening eight months ago. The company stressed that the aircraft was not “an unfinished leftover airframe, but was built using components procured, machined, fabricated, and assembled on-site.” It was Enstrom’s 255th 480-series helicopter and 1,317th helicopter overall. Enstrom will display it in Booth C2820 at this year’s Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo from March 7 to 9 in Atlanta. The company plans to retain the aircraft and use it to certify new upgrades and planned improvements.
“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,” said Enstrom COO Adam Richardson. “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 on-site helping each other cross-functionally to bring us back online.”
Menominee, Michigan-based Enstrom filed Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy last January after more than 60 years in business. Indiana-based Surack Enterprises acquired its assets in May.