Enstrom have announced that it’s 480B turbine single has regulatory compliance with the US FAA and EASA which allows the company to begin deliveries of the aircraft. MSN 5261 (pictured) the first to be sinned off under the new approvals is ready for delivery. The approval follows on the the approval of the type’s crash resistant fuel system (CRFS) late last year.
Senior Vice President of Product, Sales, and Customer Excellence Charles Wade said, “This is a major step in our journey back to prominence in the light helicopter market. Customers have been very patient with us as we made every effort to ensure safety and compliance, and we greatly appreciate that.”
According to Wade the next step is to make the optional glass panel upgrade available for all factory-new 480B helicopters. The state-of-the-art upgrades include a Garmin G500H avionics display, GTN Digital Audio radios, ADSB In/Out Surveillance, and Howell engine indication.
We’ve already received many inquiries, and the majority of these certainly lean into wanting the latest technology,” he said. “We anticipate deliveries of helicopters with this technology to begin in October 2026.”
The company says that it is also closing in on completion of the CRFS system for the piston powered 280FX as Wade explained, “Our engineering team is working very closely with the FAA to push this project across the finish line. We are expecting to perform FAA flight tests in May 2026, which would mean we could be ready to deliver factory-new 280FX aircraft as early as July 2026.”
The initial new certificate 280FXs will feature a legacy round dial instrument cluster and a Garmin GTN radio stack. Enstrom is working to incorporate the Garmin G500H 7” portrait display into the 280FX but is yet to define a timeline for that upgrade.
Image: Enstrom
