Unique Engineering Solutions
Flight specifications
The Enstrom 480B features a three-bladed, fully articulated main rotor system that has accumulated over 4,000,000 hours (and counting) without experiencing a catastrophic failure.
Besides providing excellent response, the Enstrom design eliminates Mast Bumping, increasing the safety margin for students. It also allows for slope landings of up to 15 deg. This gives instructors more options when choosing training sites.
The Enstrom’s tail rotor is two-bladed, and located on a stinger so that it is completely free and clear of the airframe. This provides excellent tail rotor authority, and eliminates LTE (Loss of Tailrotor Effectiveness) issues common on many other helicopters.
The 480B don’t require a wind azimuth chart since they don’t have any wind limitations like many other helicopters. This type of performance allows them to get into the air in conditions that would ground other ships, and yet provide a significant margin of safety for student pilots.
Flying Qualities
The Enstrom 480B has very benign flight characteristics. They are easy to fly, and very stable. Instead of hydraulically boosted controls, all Enstrom models use simple, direct mechanical linkages. This provides crisp, responsive handling and direct feedback to the pilot, which makes flying an Enstrom relatively intuitive, even for low time pilots.
It also has the added benefit of removing the requirement to learn hydraulic failure scenarios. This allows the pilot to concentrate on his flying – not possible issues with the specific aircraft design.
The fast and powerful electric trim system compensates for flight loads, and is familiar to transitioning fixed wing pilots.
Noise Signature
The 480B is noticeably quieter than most other helicopters both in-side and out. It is certified under FAR 26 Annex J.
