Enstrom Helicopter Corporation
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| Manufacturer | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Headquarters | Menominee, Michigan, United States |
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Key people
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Tracy Biegler (CEO) |
| Products | Helicopters |
| Revenue | $37.5 million |
| Owner | Chongqing Helicopter Investment Corporation |
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Number of employees
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174 110 (July 2011) |
| Website | www.enstromhelicopter.com |
The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is a Chinese-owned design and manufacturing company, based at the Menominee-Marinette Twin County Airport (ICAO airport code: KMNM) in Michigan, United States. The company was founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph J. "Rudy" Enstrom, initially as the R.J. Enstrom Corp..
Enstrom began by attempting to design his own helicopter. His lack of training in this area meant that his first efforts were not outstanding, but his efforts were noticed by local Upper Peninsula businessmen, who decided to back him. They recruited several experienced aeronautical engineers, and the group was incorporated as the R. J. Enstrom Co. (1959).
The company's first product was the piston-powered F-28 (1965). However, Enstrom had been removed from the company before that product came onto the market, although the company continued to carry his name.
In October 1968, a controlling interest in Enstrom was bought by Purex Industries, who wanted to develop a turbine powered version, something that didn't happen until over 20 years later. The lack of success with this venture led the piston-engined variants to languish, and the Purex stake was bought by F. Lee Bailey in January 1971, changing to the current name. Bailey was an enthusiastic entrepreneur, and soon had the factory producing over a hundred units per year. He also orchestrated the development and certification of the sleek 280 Shark, which came on the market in 1974. It was an immediate hit. Bailey, encouraged by this success, embarked on a four-place stretch version of the Shark (designated 280L Hawk). But the combination of technical problems with this development and a cooling economy drained the company's reserves, and Bailey sold the company in 1979. Since then it has changed hands several times. Owners have included Victor Kiam and Dean Kamen, developer of the Segway people-mover.
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