Enstrom Announces First Flight of New 480B Helicopter

The flight marks the first since production resumed following Surack Enterprises' purchase of the company after its bankruptcy filing last year.

Jonathan Welsh

Wednesday, February 01, 2023 at 06:18 PM ET

Verified

Enstrom has resumed production of its 480B turbine helicopter. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, eight months after resuming operations post-bankruptcy and acquisition by Chuck Surack, successfully completed the first flight of a newly built 480B turbine helicopter.
The new 480B, constructed entirely with fresh components since the company's revival, performed flawlessly during its test flight.
This achievement marks a critical milestone in Enstrom's strategy to rebuild and reinvent the company, involving new supplier relationships and a focused team effort.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Enstrom said it completed the first flight of a new 480B turbine helicopter since resuming operations eight months ago following bankruptcy proceedings.

The 480B is the 1317th helicopter Enstrom has built and the 255th of its 480 series, the company said, noting that the recently flown aircraft was not a “left-over airframe” from the pre-bankruptcy assembly line but was built with components newly made and assembled onsite.