Inroads to Hradec Kralove

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, the American helicopter manufacturer based at Michigan’s Menominee–Marinette Twin County Airport, announced on 18 January 2023 that it had signed DSA a.s.—a Czech aviation concern comprising Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), flight school, and aircraft sales and maintenance divisions—as a Dealer and Service Center for Enstrom Helicopters in the Czech Republic.

Enstrom vice president of sales and marketing Dennis Martin stated: “We knew we absolutely had to get DSA on board. They are the largest flight school in the Czech Republic, and one of the largest in Europe.”

DSA operates multiple Enstrom 480B turbine helicopters and provides training to both foreign and domestic students.

Enstrom vice president of product support Doug Smith added: “DSA is a highly experienced service center. In addition to supporting commercial customers throughout the region, they provide critical support to the Czech Army fleet of 480B’s. Previously the Army had only operated Eastern Bloc aircraft, but with DSA’s knowledge and experience the transition to Enstrom’s for their training fleet was smooth.”

Enstrom Helicopter was founded in 1957 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom. The company's first product was 1965’s piston-powered F-28. Rudy Enstrom—who knew little of helicopter design and was sustained to an extensive degree by outside aerospace experts and generous investors—was removed from his own company prior to the F-28’s debut. His surname remains Rudy’s only enduring contribution to the Enstrom enterprise. 

Between 1965 and 2011, Enstrom built over 1,100 helicopters in both piston and turbine iterations. Throughout those decades, the company offered three models: the F-28, the more aerodynamic 280, and the turbine-powered 480—each with its own variants.

A hallmark of Enstrom's designs is the lack of exposed pitch change linkages for the main rotor. The mechanisms, contrary to convention, are housed within the aircraft’s hollow main-rotor shaft. The architecture reduces aerodynamic drag, and renders the linkages less susceptible to external hazards such as bird-strike, powerlines, or FOD.

In January 2022 Enstrom declared bankruptcy due to what the company’s management described as “several financial difficulties.” Technical support for Enstrom customers ceased, and the Menominee factory closed in January 2022. At the time of its closure the company had only thirty employees.

In May 2022, Surack Enterprises purchased Enstrom.

Years prior to adding Enstrom to his portfolio, Chuck Surack had learned to fly helicopters in an Enstrom 280. Impressed with the machine and the company by which it had been built, Surack purchased a 480. Of Enstrom as a whole, Surack remarked: “When the company became available, I knew how good the employees were … it’s the safest helicopter in the world. If you look at the safety record it’s really, really safe, and I just knew there was an opportunity to improve the company and restore it, and take it on to the next level.”

FMI: www.enstromhelicopter.com