Interesting time line
1979 - R22 launched
1980 - the last year so far that Enstrom made over 15 in 1 year
1982 - end of 280C production
1982 - end of 28A in CSE training fleet (see above)
1984 - Dennis Kenyon buys his first Robinson
1988 - start of 280FX production
I agree, the R22 killed off Enstrom.
I never knew Bailey, but suspect he may not have been the entrepreneuer you make him out to be. Certainly he had a design which sold well for 13 years 1967 to 1980 but he failed to respond or innovate to meet the R22 challenge and the company nosedived there and then. You obviously spotted that in 1984, buying an R22, having already left Shoreham and started at Booker.
Steve Daniels was actually the first guy who showed a flair to turn this round - interestingly Tuttle works for Dean Kamen now!
Finally - your stretched 280 cabin lives on in the dump outside Aces High at North Weald...........