enstrom 280 fx

[flingwingking]

have almost done a deal on a low time 280 fx.last call to see if theres any hassle with parts or anything i should know before writing the cheque.production is gone to china now i think.or maybe i should keep my money ?

[Guest pokey]

china?! when did this happen? Do some research on chinese helicopter building, not sure which bell model it was, but? after they saw the quality, and couldn't get out of the contract, they discontinued the model. I'v bought some chinese manufactured tools for my lathes/milling machines/etc,,,,, all junk ! looks nice tho. China is the Japan from the late 50s, early 60s... ten foot pole needed,, no no,, make that 20 footer.

 

yes, they were "aquired" by the chinese couple years ago, but moving production to china? Take a look what china did to the US steel industry 15-20 years ago,,, all junk now?,,, you try to machine or weld it.

 

Now ponder this, should they let the Hughes 300 just roll over and die? or should the chinese take that over too?,,,,, Who took over the old Hiller?

Edited January 13, 2016 by pokey

[Mikemv]

FWK,

 

See the link

 

I trust that your pre-buy research is better than your research of the OEM.

 

http://enstromhelicopter.com/2015/06/enstrom-wins-awards/

 

Mike

[flingwingking]

back home there s a saying if its built by the yank then its built like a tank im european and i hav to agree with this.the yank always put s quality first.your right too mike my reasearch was poor .but whats goin to compete with this 280 on safety first and reliablity .if its gone to china thats not good .how goods the supply of us built parts. oh what happened to the brantly .didnt it go to china too.im not racist by the way

[BH206L3]

Well you have to look at the problems Cessna had with the Cessna 162 Sky Catcher! The aircraft was suppose to be a replacement for the 152! They built them in China and nobody wanted them- Cessna says it was the recession , but my gut tells me that the the construction and the materials used got shoddy over time! The Chinese have a track record with this, it starts off great then it just goes down hill in short order! All the while they rip off whom ever they are doing the work for! Buck Knives had to quite them- I fly both airplanes and helicopters and the last thing you want to do with any aircraft is ending up with suspect replacement parts, its just to expensive! Its not racist, to call something for what it is! Having been burned on poor parts for my car that came out of china, its to expensive to buy there junk since for a few bucks more you can get good quality parts!

[flingwingking]

look it still says menominee michigan on the tin so we ll leave it for now.take a look at the light helicopter range thats out there for our sons and daughters to buy and they say franks gettin rid of the r 22. some selection of quality built machines ill tell ya.is there even one that you sit into and start

[Mikemv]

FWK,

 

I do not think you will have a problem with parts as Enstrom increased the size of their plant last year.

 

They are owned by a Chinese entity but support their products well from the US.

 

Call the factory and discuss how they will continue to support your helicopter.

 

Have your model and serial number ready so they can be specific.

 

Mike

[Spirit of '69]

production is gone to china now i think.

Nope. Still only made in Menominee, MI. Parts availability and customer service are some of Enstrom's strengths, IMO. Besides making extremely safe, easy to fly helicopters.

[apacheguy]

Nope. Still only made in Menominee, MI. Parts availability and customer service are some of Enstrom's strengths, IMO. Besides making extremely safe, easy to fly helicopters.

 

This is good to know, I may have to look into buying one of these. We have a local mechanic who works on Enstroms so it'd be easy to keep flying.

[flingwingking]

good to know that spirit .extra peace of mind .too late anyway its bought.friend of mine is lookin at a 280 c now non turbo in europe its clean good history.they say they are under powered ive never flown one .he s a small light guy so is his passenger .how underpowered is it

[flylow]

friend of mine is lookin at a 280 c now non turbo in europe its clean good history.they say they are under powered ive never flown one .he s a small light guy so is his passenger .how underpowered is it

 

The 280c does have a turbo. A straight 28A or 280 is non turbo. I've flown a 28A with two medium size guys with no problem, but the DA wasn't that high either. I fly a 280C almost daily and regularly have 3 people in it. I would not say at all that it is underpowered.

[rick1128]

 

The 280c does have a turbo. A straight 28A or 280 is non turbo. I've flown a 28A with two medium size guys with no problem, but the DA wasn't that high either. I fly a 280C almost daily and regularly have 3 people in it. I would not say at all that it is underpowered.

I did my instrument rating and CFII in a 28A. You had to flog it pretty hard to get it going. But then I was in SE Texas in August with a 280 pound instructor. Personally I wouldn't have anything to do with a non-turbo Enstrom. I'm not sure how the TH-180 is going to work out being non-turboed, even with an extra 5 HP.

[flingwingking]

he says this is a 280 c non turbo its 1975 .rick says non turbo way under powered .fly lo has 280 c down as a turbo .is there something about a turbo fitted to a non turbo engine and not being up to it before a proper turbo engine came out.ive very little enstrom tech knowledge but im learning on here

[flylow]

I agree the A model or 280 can be underpowered, depending on circumstances. However, in 1975 the 280C/28C was introduced, WITH a turbocharger. I'm saying I fly the C model (turbocharged) regularly with 3 people and don't notice any lack of power.

[flingwingking]

can the non turbo model be fitted with a turbo .your saying that in 1975 there was as 280 c non turbo and 280 c turbo