Enstrom Corner

[EN48]

Enstrom 480B vs other light turbine helo's

All,

I have been flying fixed wing acft since 1966, and have intended for many years to add Helicopter and Instrument-Helicopter ratings to my Commercial certificate. My initial intent was to train in and acquire a B206. I went to see Roger Sharkey at Sharkey's Helicopters in Lebanon, NH, an Enstrom dealer and Bell advocate/Part 135 operator with several 206's and a 407 on charter. We spent a few hours flying the 206 and 480B, and I found the 480B to be much less demanding to fly, and the cabin layout to be more appealing for a personally flown helo. After doing some homework, it became evident that the 206 would be about 40% more expensive to buy comparably equipped, and about 1.5X to 2X as much to insure (if I could buy insurance at all for the 206 with my lack of helicopter experience.) Sharkey's was able to get me a quote on 480 insurance which, while not cheap, was acceptable.

I have long considered the 206 to be the ultimate personal turbine helicopter, so even with logic favoring the 480B, I attempted to pursue the purchase of a 206. I called both the local Bell sales office and the headquarters sales office in TX and could not get a salesperson to return my call. I subsequently was told that 206's are sold out into 2009, so they really didnt have anything to sell.

I began training in the 480B in December, and got in about 10 hours before the acft was sold. While waiting for Sharkey's to get a another 480B on the line for training, I began flying an R22 just to keep my hand in. As others have pointed out, the contrast is striking, as one should expect. I have learned a great deal from flying the R22, however, Sharkey's now has a new 480B available for training and I will finish up in that ship.

As part of my evaluation process, I went to the Enstrom factory and spent a day meeting with the President and VP Sales. I was impressed with what I saw and how I was treated. Enstrom actually made it seem like they wanted my business! I have placed an order for a new 480B with the recently announced Chelton FlightLogic EFIS system. Based on the homework I have done, and 40 years of experience flying and owning fixed wing acft, I am confident that I have made an appropriate decision for my present needs, and this decision seems to be supported by the Enstrom savvy posts here. Every flying machine is a compromise involving many tradeoffs - with each choice, you get some things and give other things up.

I also spent considerable time reviewing the safety record for the 206, 480, and other Enstrom models (because there are relatively few 480's in the fleet.) I read hundreds of NTSB accident reports on both the the 206 and Enstrom models. The 480 has a superb safety record with zero fatal accidents to date, and only four accidents total shown in the NTSB database. Only one of these four is related to mechanical issues, and this was a ground resonance event attributed to defective elastomeric lead/lag dampers; I am told that the acft gave the pilot ample warning, which was ignored. This issue has been studied closely by Enstrom and Lord (damper manuf.) and these dampers have been removed from service and replaced with well proven hydraulic dampers until an improved elastomeric damper is available. (In reviewing all 417 Enstrom accidents reports dating to 1965, I was unable to find any other instances of ground resonance, which surprised me given the fully articulated rotor system. Apparently Enstrom solved this potential problem decades ago.)

(As part of my evaluation process, I also looked at the 333 and EC 120. I found the 333 to be too small, and the EC 120 to be the most expensive of the bunch, and with significant questions about post sale support.)

As with many other aspects of life, I have found those with the least experience with Enstroms to be the most negative. I will report back when I have some meaningful experience with the 480.

Best,

RB