Support Documents Available on Our Website
We get lots of requests at the factory for manuals, service documents, and other technical information. We are always happy to help but actually, there is a great deal of information for owners, pilots, and technicians available on our website.
Under Support, there are links to Training, Technical Support, and Tech Tips. Clicking on Training allows you to sign up for the Enstrom Maintenance Schools, and to view a list of flight schools in the US using Enstrom. We appreciate updates on changes in the list.
Under Technical Support is a list of forms you can download such as owner registration, parts ordering, and component returns, as well as links to our Maintenance Manuals, Parts Manuals, Rotorcraft Flight Manuals, and Service Documents. There are also links to EASA documents, Maintenance, and inspection Alerts, and to contact individual Product Support personnel. Yes, you read correctly, you can download manuals for free. At Enstrom, we believe that safety comes first, and having the latest information available is critically important to us all. We don’t charge for access to our manuals and other technical information.
There is a link to the Enstrom Technical Publications Status which tells you what the latest revision status is for Enstrom Flight Manuals, Maintenance Manuals, Parts Manuals, and SILs and SDBs. This is a great way to make sure that you are always using the most up-to-date service information.
Inside the Service Documents section, you can find Service Directive Bulletins (SDB) and Service Information Letters (SIL) for all models of Enstrom Helicopters.
Information on ADs (FAA Airworthiness Directives) is readily available on the FAA website.
All the different kinds of bulletins can seem a bit confusing, but as far as owners or operators are concerned, the simple explanation is that ADs are mandatory by law and Service Directive Bulletins are not. Enstrom releases Service Directive Bulletins to direct owners and maintenance personnel to make changes, improvements, or inspections to Enstrom Helicopters that we consider mandatory. Although the FAA cannot consider them mandatory because they have not been through the FAA’S rulemaking process, Enstrom does: we do not issue Service Bulletins unless we feel that there is a direct possible issue of safety to the helicopters and personnel. Service Directive Bulletins invite closer inspection of Enstrom by the FAA and believe me, we aren’t looking for additional scrutiny by the FAA!
ADs are released by the FAA, not Enstrom. They have been through a formal government rulemaking process and compliance is mandatory by law. While Enstrom does not always agree with every AD, we do work with the FAA when they craft an AD, and often the AD will very closely match an existing SDB.
Service Information Letters are intended to transmit information, recommendations, and service instructions to the owners, operators, and maintenance people. The intention is for SILs to eventually get added to the applicable manuals during future revisions.
To me, this is a mixed blessing. People who are using the manuals expect the information, but SILs serve notice that there has been a change or that there is supplemental information available to our published information. Personally, I like to see them remain as SILs even after being added to the respective manuals.
One of the most useful resources for owners is the Tech Tips section under Support. The Tech Tips are a way for Enstrom to add detail about operating the helicopters and maintenance to owners and technical personnel. The tech tips section is divided up into the different models, and then into systems to make searching easy.
They are written by our tech reps and are a result of maintenance items that have come up during our fieldwork.
Finally, there is also a link to Maintenance and Inspections Alerts Piston and Turbine where we bring attention to issues that have been found in the field by technicians. They are often unusual and sometimes don’t lead to Service Directive Bulletins but are worth looking at.
There is a ton of valuable information available for immediate access on our website, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t call us! Enstrom Tech Reps have been at it for a long time, and we work hard to be available to you when you need us.
Bayard duPont is the Senior Technical Fellow Product and Technical Representative at Enstrom Helicopter.
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.