Is Enstrom still building helicopters?

Yes, in limited-revival form. Enstrom Menominee operations ceased in 2022 after multiple corporate restructurings; an asset reorganisation followed and production resumed in 2023 onwards under reorganised ownership. New-build availability is limited and used-market acquisitions dominate school-fleet additions.

What is the difference between the Enstrom F-28 and 280?

Both share the same airframe core, three-seat cabin, fully-articulated three-bladed main rotor, and Lycoming HIO-360 powerplant. The 280 series (Shark, then 280FX Shark) adds aerodynamic refinements — a horizontal stabiliser, fairings, refined cabin glazing — and is positioned as the more modern-styled premium variant. The F-28F Falcon is the long-running utility / training configuration.

Why would a school choose an Enstrom over a Robinson R22 or R44?

Three main reasons. First, the Enstrom has a fully-articulated three-bladed main rotor — different rotor dynamics than the Robinson two-bladed teetering rotor — and some operators want students to encounter both rotor types during piston training. Second, the Enstrom operates outside the SFAR 73 currency framework that governs Robinson R22 / R44 operations in the US, which simplifies some training scenarios. Third, the airframe is slightly larger and has three seats, which helps with training scenarios that need a CFI plus two trainees.

How many Enstroms have been built?

Approximately 1,300 Enstrom F-28 and 280 family airframes have been built across the production run that began in 1969. The fleet is materially smaller than the Robinson piston fleet (over 11,500 R22 / R44 / R66 combined) but the type maintains a steady presence at some US helicopter schools.

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation

F-28 / 280 series

Helicopter (piston) · Helicopter trainer · Pre-1980 classic

limited revival

Photo: ZLEA via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Power: 225 hp
Cruise: 95 kt
MTOW: 2,350 lb
Range: 261 nm
Fuel: 100LL avgas

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)95 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)117 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)0 kt
Climb rate1,075 fpm
Service ceiling12,700 ft
Range261 nm
Endurance3 h
Takeoff roll0 ft
Landing roll0 ft

Weights

MTOW2,350 lb
Empty weight1,600 lb
Useful load750 lb
Baggage capacity0 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan32 ft
Length28.3 ft
Height9.2 ft
Cabin width42 in

Powerplant

EngineLycoming HIO-360-F1AD — 225 hp · 100LL · 13 gph
Total horsepower225 hp
Primary fuel100LL avgas
Unleaded pathLeaded only — needs G100UL or engine swap

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeanalog
Autopilot commonly availableNo
Typical packages
- Factory analog six-pack with KX-155 / Garmin GTR / GTX— current factory baseline
- Garmin G500H / Aspen Evolution retrofit— modern training-fleet retrofit
Training note
Most Enstrom airframes carry factory analog instruments; modern training-fleet retrofits typically pair the analog primary instruments with a Garmin GTN navigator. The type was not designed around glass-cockpit deployment and most schools use it for the visual-flight portion of the helicopter syllabus.

Certification

RegulatoryFAR Part 27
Certified rolesNormal category helicopter — day / night VFR
IFRNo
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)No
High-performance (FAR 61.31)No

Why is the F-28 / 280 series popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Pedagogy and handling

Fully-articulated three-bladed main rotor — distinct from the Robinson two-bladed teetering rotor that dominates the piston-helicopter training market. Schools that want students to see articulated-rotor dynamics during ab-initio piston training cite this as a pedagogical reason to add the type.

Regulatory fit

FAR Part 27 normal-category piston helicopter that sits outside the SFAR 73 currency framework that governs Robinson R22 / R44 operations in the US. Operators that want to teach piston-helicopter currency outside the SFAR 73 environment use the Enstrom (and the Schweizer 300, Guimbal Cabri G2) as an alternative.

Industry network effects

Enstrom production has continued in limited-revival form at Menominee, Michigan after multiple corporate restructurings. The fleet is smaller than the Robinson piston fleet but the Lycoming HIO-360 engine line is mainstream and well-supported in the broader piston-aviation MRO network.

Fuel future-proofing

Lycoming HIO-360 is a 100LL powerplant; operators should track the FAA EAGLE programme and engine-specific G100UL STC eligibility for the HIO-360 family.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Helicopter schools operating the Enstrom configure it in Aviatize as a single airframe with the Lycoming HIO-360 as an engine sub-component for TBO and overhaul-reserve tracking and the main transmission, tail-rotor gearbox, and rotor systems each modelled as dynamic-component child resources for time-on-component cycles. The fully-articulated rotor system has different lifecycle characteristics than the Robinson two-bladed teetering rotor and should be reserved accordingly.

schedulingtraining managementaircraft maintenancebilling

Editorial confidence

Medium confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-26

Variant timeline and engine reference attributed to FAA TCDS H1CE and Enstrom manufacturer page. Production-total figure is consistent across sources for the F-28 / 280 family. Recent corporate restructuring history (2022 closure, 2023 reorganisation) is widely reported in trade press; treat new-build availability as limited.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation
https://enstromhelicopter.com/
Enstrom Helicopter Corporation product line. Verified on this page on 2026-05-26: current actively-marketed product line shows two models — Piston 280FX (225 shp) and Turbine 480B (305 shp). The F-28F is no longer the lead-marketed piston, but the 280FX is the active piston-helicopter variant covered by this entry.
Primary sourceFAA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/TCDS
FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet H1CE covers the Enstrom F-28 / 280 series.
Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enstrom_F-28
Wikipedia article aggregating the Enstrom F-28 / 280 family development history.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Operator lists are intentionally empty rather than speculative.

Related aircraft

Other training airframes commonly evaluated, operated, or compared alongside the F-28 / 280 series.

R22 / R44 family

Robinson Helicopter Company

Helicopter (piston)

Power: 145hp
Fuel: 100LL avgas

Ab-initio / PPLCheckride prepDiscovery flights

Limited revival

Schweizer 300 / Sikorsky S-300

Schweizer Aircraft (RSG, formerly Sikorsky)

Helicopter (piston)

Power: 180hp
Fuel: 100LL avgas

Ab-initio / PPLCheckride prep

Cabri G2

Hélicoptères Guimbal

Helicopter (piston)

Power: 145hp
Fuel: 100LL avgas

Ab-initio / PPLCheckride prep

R66 Turbine

Robinson Helicopter Company

Helicopter (turbine)

Power: 300hp
Fuel: Jet-A (diesel piston)

Type-rating prep

Photos & credits: each thumbnail opens that aircraft’s page, where the photographer and licence are credited under the hero image.

Back to the full directory Or browse by operating profile →