I'm sure it is possible to fit pop outs to a 280C. I'm just not sure that it has been done to date. I guess it depends how much you want to spend!

You can get air-conditioning for them.

With fixed floats installed the VNE goes down to 85mph at sea level. I'm sure you'll be thrasing the guts out of the engine long before then.

MRGB overhaul (exchange) approx US$12,000 (TBO 1,200 hrs) plus freight (both ways, to and from the US), taxes, VAT (if applicable) and removal / fitting labour and incidentals. Don't forget downtime whilst the gearbox is being exchanged.

Things to look for...... a list as long as my arm if you want.

• Lets start with, where are you looking to buy from?
• Checkout the history of the machine with a fine tooth comb - any doubt ask someone.
• Get a third party familiar with Enstrom's to survey the machine. Then run it buy a fourth party.

PM me and I can get a POH to you or if you have any questions about the above.

Get a good un and you'll love it.

P.S.

I Forgot to add, that I believe the quote is, "Nobody has ever been killed due to the mechanical failure of an Enstrom".

Enstrom 280fx
 

Could anyone who operates an Enstrom 280fx advise on their feelings about this type, speed,smoothness,maintenance in Australia, throttle control, tail rotor effectiveness,fuel economy etc, for a private pilot who has flown mainly R44 and H500. Thanks in advance:)

after a 500 or a 44 it will be like flying dead donkey with a bad leg

after flying a 500 it would be abismal but its loads better than a 44

i flew to sloanes to try out the 44 i went in my 280fx the 44 seemed to be not as stable as the fx was ,granted i only flew 15 mins but that was enough i then flew home without any problems the instructor at sloanes said it was a windy day for the 44 the 100 mile flight there and back in the fx was fine




steve

you might be able to acces verticalmag.com's review of the 280fx which was in their most recent issue. they do post a lot of their articals on line. good hunting.

En 280Fx
 

HFT,

Have done a bit in the 280fx and found it to be great fun and a real pilots helicopter, I have also plenty of time on R44's. The 280fx is nice and stable and has excellent autorotational capabilities and are quite reliable if maintained properly. They can't compare to the R44 for cost, value for money, fuel economy etc. but if you fancy something different I would recommend it. The key is to get one in good condition and make sure it is well maintained. Naturally when you ask about Enstroms you will get the usual sarcastic comments from pilots who have never flown them or know very little about them so aren't really qualified to comment. I would like to think I have given you a more balanced viewpoint.

Good Luck,
BC.

Put quite simply, the 280 is to the R44 what the 300CBi is to the R22. Completely different aircraft with completely different strengths and personalities. If you want light, fast, frugal and 3 pax plus pilot, go R44. If you want solid, robust, fairly fast, ample reserves, huge safety envelope, go Enstrom.

The other big advantage of the Enstrom is that you don't have time lifed parts (except the lamaflex) so if you don't do many hours a year it works out cheaper than the 44 which you only really rent from Frank fo 12 years!

F28 C/F airconditioning
 

Can someone give me a source for an a/c kit for the F28C/F. Is it available as an STC.

Can anyone give me general performance from the POH for 30°C sea level ops eg. MTOW, oge hover ceiling.

Good sources for used aircraft might also be appreciated or a good freelance engineer for survey work.

Cheers in advance for any info.

CAA know best - Enstrom 480/480B!
 

The CAA have issued a directive which dictates that all G reg Enstrom 480's/480B's on reaching 1275 flight hours must soon have the main rotor hub plates replaced. This is dispite the fact that , to the best of my knowledge there has NEVER been a failure , or related problem in the UK or worldwide. The components in question have a normal life of 5000+hours.
In the UK right now there are a number of 480's already with 1275 + flight hours, these would then be immediatley grounded.
Now just hang on a minute, how is this justified?. Do the CAA experts have better knowledge than the designers and makers ENSTROM. Who is this great expert at Gatwick that knows best? Come to think of it I'm not sure the CAA even have anyone working for them who is rated on 480's/480B's!
Sadly, I hear that EASA is going to back this CAA directive , that means that all 480's in Europe are going to grounded as well when the time comes!!!!!!!
WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE???!!!!! Come on ENSTROM get your gloves on and argue back!!!

Sounds like someone at CAA didnt get his share under the table........

The CAA has a lot of issues where they have no one qualified in the aircraft either as a pilot or engineer. Nothing new there. That does not stop them from acting as experts on those aircraft.:ugh:

The fact these same folks make wonderful decisions that serve to boggle the minds of the rational among us is also no surprise.

If there is such danger to life to justify this action....are the FAA wallahs doing the same?

Of course the FAA does some very silly things too....like the Engine AD on the Huey...also without any empirical data to support the action. Owners of the Restricted Catagory Huey's have filed suit in court to protest that action. Maybe that is appropriate here.

The only FAA AD on this part is this one here.

It would indeed be interesting to understand the basis of this life reduction. Do you have any links to the CAA or EASA rule and AD?

What is the Enstrom position on this?

Alternately, I guess that you will be like everyone else in Europe and put your machine on the N register and tell them to go :mad: themselves. :eek:

Part 2 - edit following a bit more reading.

The CAA issued an AD concerning this part in August 2003, http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/536/G-2003-0002.pdf, so maybe complaining about it years after the event is a little belated?

What is the background to this life limit reduction and determination? Have you spoken to the CAA Engineer named in the AD? It certainly seems a little strange to make a determination of this magnitude, considering this model is manufactured and conformed to FAR 27, although it was originally designed to Part 6 of the CAR. Interesting issue, maybe someone has more insight?

I know nothing about this particular issue (indeed, I'm only about 80% sure I'd recognise an Enstron 480), however...

A few years ago, working for an organisation supporting a fixed wing aeroplane, I had cracking in a critical component (a wing attachment) reported to me from the field. I did a fleetwide survey and discovered that it actually occurred on a reasonable proportion of the fleet and the component had fairly routinely been replaced WITHOUT anybody reporting a trend.

CAA, looking over my shoulder said "you need to ground all of those", I fought back saying that was totally unnecessary for, maybe half a day until I came to my senses. I agreed to a grounding and modification and I'm pretty convinced that if I hadn't, we'd have had a fatal by now.

But, the owners hated it - I lost track of the number of times I had to defend that decision, either in public or private. My organisation and the CAA came under an enormous amount of flack and, yes, there had never been an in-flight failure.

Yet!



So, knowing CAA's competences and approach, plus what we'd all say if there was a failure next week and CAA hadn't done anything about it, I'm afraid that I feel you're being a bit unfair here.

That said, as an organisation, they are lousy at communicating with the public. So your "where's the evidence" criticism is almost certainly valid. I'm sure that they have it, but should also put it on the table for everybody else to have a look if they're costing operators that much time and money.

G

Well said Genghis.:D

As a rule they don't generally make it up as they go along.

Most of the maintenance complaints came from technicans that were more used to other brands. Once you get to know it the Ensrom is as easy or easier to maintain than other helicopters in its class, but a bit like a sports car it certainly helps to know the critter.

Most difficutlty in holding track went away when the elastomeric feather bearings got fixed in 1994. Since the Enstroms have no airframe life, there are lots around that are 30 years old so some of the maintnance issues just resut from the helicpters having been around for many years without as much TLC as might be needed.

Enstrom 480B
 

Hi guys

Anyone operating Enstrom480B's??Would like to know it's performance and the Operating costs.

This should get you started:

www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=190595

:ok:

How's the Enstrom 480B for a buy??
 

Would be grateful if people out there can throw some light on the pros and cons of Enstrom 480B...Operating costs,flying characteristics,performance,spares availability and maintenance issues?

Enstrom 480B
 

Thanx...Bravo

enstrom480B
 

Hi guys

Needed data/wisdom/experience on 480B's safety features,maintenance,life of components,safety aspects w.r.t transmission system,tail rotor design any other issue that you would like to warn before buying.

Hi there,

could somebody pls advise if the lamiflex bearings should be replaced after 5 years regardless of the time flown? thx. bsipos

Yes, it's a lifelimited parts, which should be replaced after 5 years, regardless if the aircraft flew or not.

Thank you! : )

Do you know of any online source where I could download the 280 C Shark POH from?

Send me you email address and I'll send you one.

[email protected]

:O thank you, I have sent the mail.

Enstrom & Floats
 

I suppose one of the dubious advantages of being in the flying business for 55 years is that a lot of the queries that come up on our forum are really old hat for we COFs * ... especially when considering the Enstrom marque.

Floats on the 28/280 series are a definite 'YES' I flew and certified the float configuration for the CAA certification in 1974 ! She was serial number 176 with the "Air Cruiser" floats. Contrary to what has been noted on this thread, the top speed isn't adversely affected. In fact when I flew G-BBPO, I was surprised to note a small ASI increase ! The Enstrom designer Herb Moseley told me the aerodynamics of the inflated floats required less power than the draggy skid arrangement.

You can tell the float certified version by the repositioned pitot tube now mounted above the cabin nose.

Best wishes to ppruners all,

Dennis K

* Crusty old farts !

Game work
 

Just a comment on using Enstroms for round -up. We had our FX on a game counting/capture/darting contract in south africa for 2 yrs. The guys loved it. Some of the flying was up at 6000' with 30 deg c days.

As an airline pilot that now owns and instructs, only prob with an Enstrom is that it needs to go on a diet. Darn thing is way over designed. Make it lighter, it will go faster and use less fuel, hence more range.

Oh yeah, Johannesburg is 5500 amsl and 30 deg in the summer. Should see them R22's fall out the sky.

could somebody pls advise on the typpical cost of an F 280 C Shark MRGB overhaul and the lamiflex bearings? thank you

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

MRGB overhaul US$14900
Lamiflex bearings US$ 1550 each

Plus taxes & carriage.

;) Thank you!

Enstrom F28F floats on eBay
 

Check eBay listing here for a pair of Enstrom F28F floats in Washington state USA. May be of use to someone?

Comd John Frog
 

There is said to be an enstrom flying with a police organisation in the usa with 37,000 hrs on some major componets (including main rotor blades)

Enstrom series
 

As the Enstrom plant will tell you ... the Pasadena police used the Enstrom 28 series since around the mid 1970s. When I was actively involved, I had many a conversation with their then Chief Pilot, Nick Augusta. I understand they topped the 25,000 hours with one of the fleet several years ago.

As the factory didtributor, I personally delivered no less than six Enstrom 28s to CSE at Kidlington. I recall G-BBXO passing the 10,000 hour stage in the 1990s.

I have posted here before with the FACTS on the marque .. as opposed to the hogwash I have to read occasionally. I still like the type and enjoy displaying all variants, but one does have to live with the shortcomings ... none of which have safety considerations.

I suppose the good looking Enstrom is like an attractive lady ... terrific fun, but be prepared to open your wallet a lot.

Crash hat on standby for PC flack. (Go on Whirls ........)

Dennis K

Popular in some areas
 

The Enstrom is certainly popular in some areas.
During a recent visit to Gloucester airport I noticed
G REAN-480B
G IGHH-480
G IJBB- 480
G MEEK- 480
G OZAR-480
G OJBB-280 FX
G PBYY- 280FX
G OABO -F28A
They all live at Gloucester and there's several others based just local! :)

Enstrom Rotor Head
 

Can anyone please help me find information on the Enstrom's rotor head as i have searched the Internet without much luck. in particular how it is setup in regards to pitch control as there are no visible linkages that I can see. Is there another shaft running up the centre of the main shaft to control pitch or is done some other way. Any information would be helpful including images.
Thanks in advance Born2fly

The Enstrom has three push/pull tubes inside the mast. A small swashplate is mounted below the main transmission.

Thanks slowrotor, that explains a bit but i would still like a bit more detail and if anyone has any images that would also be great.
Thanks Born2fly

Hi Born2fly, Can you recomend a school in Australia that would do an endorsement on a 280c. I may have missed it, but do you own a machine or are you working on one as a LAME? Thanks.