Sun, Mar 13, 2011
Turbine-Powered 480B Goes To Wuhan Helicopters
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has recently signed a Purchase
Agreement with Wuhan Helicopters in China for a 480B turbine
helicopter. The aircraft will be equipped with a Garmin GPS system,
an Isolair agricultural spraying system, and a Safe Flight
Powerline Detection System.
Enstrom has a long history with Wuhan Helicopters and China. In
the early 90's Wuhan Helicopters imported some of the first civil
certified helicopters into China. Enstrom 280FX models were used by
the Wuhan police, while Enstrom 480 models were used for
agricultural spraying. Today Wuhan Helicopters continues to operate
a rare Enstrom TH-28 turbine helicopter for agricultural spraying
and other commercial work. The new 480B will allow Wuhan to expand
their business and take advantage of the Chinese government's
opening of the airspace.
"Obviously we are excited about returning to China," said
Enstrom's Director of Sales and Marketing, Tracy Biegler. "We've
had aircraft operating successfully there for a number of years
now, and with the rapid growth of their aviation infrastructure we
are well positioned to take advantage of that experience and expand
our fleet there. Civil certification of the 480B is currently
underway, and once that hurdle is cleared we expect to see even
more interest from China. This also marks an expansion of the 480B
in the agricultural spraying market. It's a good fit for the
aircraft, and even though the Isolair system has been certified for
less than a year, already a number have been sold."
According to Michael Powell, President of Isolair, the 480B is a
natural for the agricultural spraying market. "The 480B is really a
great platform for spraying. It is very responsive, yet easy to
fly." Isolair had flexibility in mind when it developed the 120
gallon system. "There is a flow control right in the cockpit, so
adjusting the spray volume is fast and easy. The tank mounts under
the belly, and the entire assembly, pumps, booms, and all attaches
with only a few quick disconnect pins. This means that the
helicopter can quickly be reconfigured for other duties with a
minimum of fuss."
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