Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Enstrom has made the initial flight of its first new-production 480B since reopening eight months ago. The company stressed that the aircraft was not “an unfinished leftover airframe, but was built using components procured, machined, fabricated, and assembled on-site.” It was Enstrom’s 255th&nbsp;480-series helicopter and 1,317th&nbsp;helicopter overall. Enstrom will display it&nbsp;in Booth C2820 at this year’s Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo from March 7 to&nbsp;9&nbsp;in Atlanta. The company plans to retain the aircraft and use it to certify new upgrades and planned improvements.
“This was a critical milestone in our plan to not just bring back Enstrom, but to start to reinvent ourselves and the way we operate,” said Enstrom COO&nbsp;Adam Richardson. “It took all functions to focus on the objective. New supplier relationships, new machinists and fabricators, and luckily many from prior years, better print definitions, a high standard of workmanship, and everyone on-site helping each other cross-functionally to bring us back online.”
Menominee, Michigan-based Enstrom filed Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy last January&nbsp;after more than 60 years in business. Indiana-based Surack Enterprises acquired its assets in May.&nbsp;

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Enstrom Flies First New-production Helo Since Reopening

Enstrom flies its first new production helicopter since reopening in May 2022, a 480B.

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