Rising Fortunes: Rising Sun

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is pleased to announce that it has signed Aero Facility Co, Ltd. as its Japanese sales representative.

Aero Facility has the distinction of being the first representative signed by Enstrom after the company’s May 2022 emergence from Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Aero Facility was a long-time representative of the previous Enstrom, and supported the Japan Ground Self Defense Force’s fleet of TH-480B training helicopters.

Enstrom’s VP of Sales & Marketing, Dennis Martin said of the signing: “It was an easy decision. Our number one priority is supporting the existing fleet. Aero Facility has done a fantastic job keeping our customers in Japan flying, and we knew we had to get them on a contract right away so that they could continue that support.”

Impressed by the diligence evinced by Aero Facility’s already having parts on order, Enstrom’s VP of Product Support, Doug Smith remarked: “They [Aero Facility] are a consistent leader in parts sales. They have shown Enstrom a lot of loyalty, and we are pleased to be able to return that.”

Founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom, the Enstrom Helicopter Corporation—now Enstrom Aerospace Industries—is an American helicopter aerospace manufacturer, based at the Menominee–Marinette Twin County Airport in Michigan.

The company's first product was 1965’s piston-powered F-28. Rudy Enstrom—who knew little of helicopter design and had been sustained to an extensive degree by outside aerospace experts and game investors—had been removed from his own company by the time the F-28 debuted. 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 was the lack of exposed pitch change links for the main rotor. The mechanisms, contrary to convention, were housed within the hollow main-rotor shaft—thereby decreasing aerodynamic drag.

In January 2022 Enstrom declared bankruptcy due to what the company 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 with the aim of restarting parts and eventually helicopter production, and a longer-term objective of improving and updating the Enstrom fleet. Company owner, Chuck Surack, earned his venture capital by starting Sweetwater Sound, America’s largest online musical instrument and equipment retailer.

Whether or not Surack can bring Enstrom back to its former relevance and renown remains to be seen, but initial indicators are promising.

FMI: www.enstromhelicopter.com