TH180 Fall Update
Continuing Development of the Enstrom TH180
Menominee, MI, October 2016—Enstrom Helicopter Corporation continues its flight test program on the second TH180 helicopter Flight Test Vehicle. Several test plans have been submitted to the FAA, the FAA has been providing excellent support and various tests are being completed. The program is back on track after the delay caused by the accident with FTV 1. “Thus far, the TH-180 is meeting and exceeding our expectations” said Bill Taylor, Senior Test Pilot, and Co-Program Manager. The first static test was successfully completed on September 20th. “We have just crossed another milestone with recent test completions. We are on our way!”
Construction is nearly complete on a third FTV which will be a fully conforming prototype. This aircraft will begin flight test in the last quarter of this year with certification anticipated in 2017.
A certification meeting was held with the FAA in September and a familiarization meeting is scheduled with EASA in October to initiate the EU certification process as the flight test program moves forward. “We are very encouraged by the cooperative efforts with the airworthiness authorities and look forward to completing certification flight testing by mid-2017” said Orlando Alaniz, Director of Sales & Marketing & Co-Program Manager.
Training future pilots is a high priority and we are developing and building a training helicopter to meet the rigorous training demands of global helicopter markets.
About Enstrom Helicopter
From Rudy Enstrom’s early designs in 1943 to initial testing in a Michigan Quarry in 1957 to aircraft operating on six continents, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has maintained a reputation for safety, value and performance. Based in Menominee, Michigan and proudly made in the United States, Enstrom has a rich history for design innovation. The goal is to provide helicopters to the customer’s exact specification and deliver support and maintenance worldwide.