Enstrom Helicopter Corp. has received certification for the newly designed elastomeric dampers for the 480 turbine rotor head. FAA certification for the dampers was announced in January.

“These new dampers are very impressive,” said Roger Sharkey, president of Sharkey’s Helicopters, “They improve the aircrafts ride and stability in all regions of flight. Most impressive is the way they improve the characteristics near the ground. The aircraft no longer has a feedback issue between the airframe and the ground. There is no more ground bounce and even on slope landings the aircraft is incredibly smooth.”

Sharkey’s Helicopters, Inc. is an Enstrom dealer in W. Lebanon, NH. The September 2004 aircraft that received this first set of dampers is on display at Heli Expo.

The elastomeric dampers are an option that can be retrofitted to any Enstrom 480 or 480B and replace the current hydraulic damper system. The system not only improves the ride quality but will help reduce maintenance costs over the life of the aircraft. It is available as a retrofit kit from the factory for less than US$7K. This is the latest development in Enstrom’s ongoing product improvement program to increase performance and passenger comfort in its turbine model. The company will now turn its attention to developing and certifying the elastomeric damper kit for its piston line with start of testing slated for the mid-March timeframe.

FMI: www.enstromhelicopter.com