Employee Spotlight: Dan Nelson
They call me “Tail Cone Dan.” Yeah that’s me, Dan Nelson. I have been in the sheet metal/ sub-component assembly department since I started working at Enstrom in January of 2012. Before I even heard of Enstrom, my manufacturing career started in Peshtigo, Wisconsin at DeCrane Aerospace Seating. For five years I assembled luxury aircraft seats and divans for many great companies like Pilatus Aircraft, Embraer, Dassault Aviation, and Bombardier. Years in to working at DeCrane I was skilled enough to be sent to various locations around the United States to fix and/or update seats. Seeing some of the aircraft that we built products for was utterly amazing. I made the choice to come to Enstrom after seeing the product and realizing I had a chance to be a part of the company. I started at the perfect time. I got to meet many of the people that have been there longer than I have been walking. In the almost 11 years I have been here, I have been able to learn from the old and teach the new. This choice was the perfect opportunity for me.
I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Still don’t, but when I started my career assembling things, I knew where I belonged. This company is where I belong and want to stay. At Enstrom not only do we get to assemble, but fabricating is an even larger part of our jobs. To take a raw sheet of material and turn it into something that will help create an aircraft is challenging but awesome.
When Enstrom closed their doors a lot of us were scared of the unknown. What’s next? How long until we can come back? Will someone get us going again? What will the new owners be like? But after a longtime of silence and word started getting out that things were in the works for getting us back, hope came alive. When we got that return-to-work call, nothing could have made me happier other than the fact that my 36th birthday was the Friday before the Monday I was able to return to building the tailcones for Enstrom helicopters. Happy birthday to me!
I came back to Enstrom with rejoice. It was a fresh start for a company that I am grateful to work for. To see the Enstrom family back and at it again it’s like we never even left. Everyone plays their roles to create this wonderful flying machine and together we are the new Enstrom Helicopter Corporation.
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.