Enstrom 280FX Shark
The Enstrom Helicopter Corporation 280FX Shark is a variant of the 280 Shark, which itself is a derivative of the F-28, the company’s first practical helicopter. The 280 Shark was one of several improved versions of the F-28 developed by Enstrom in the early 1970s, following the acquisition of the helicopter manufacturer by attorney F. Lee Bailey.
Enstrom secured the certification of the 280 Shark in September 1974, following which it certified two other improved models, the F-28C and 280C, in 1975. In December 1980, Enstrom certified a version of the 280, the 280F, that featured a more powerful, 225-shp (167-kW) Lycoming Model HIO-360-F1AD engine than the 205-shp (153-kW) engine in the original 280 Shark.
The successor to the 280F, the 280FX, completed its maiden flight on Dec. 20, 1984, before it was certified in the US on Jan. 14, 1985. Like the 280F, featured the same turbo-charged piston engine. However, the 280FX featured a host of improvements over its predecessor, including a redesigned inlet air scoop, fairings for the landing gear and tail rotor driveshaft, and a redesigned and relocated horizontal stabilizer equipped with vertical endplates.
Enstrom’s improvements to the 280 Shark, resulting in the 280FX, informed the development in the late 1980s and 1990s of a new generation of larger aircraft, later known as the Model 480. Other derivatives of the 280FX include the two-seat TH180 training helicopter, a scaled down variant of the 280FX unveiled by Enstrom at Heli Expo in 2014. Work on the TH180 continued following its unveiling before Enstrom cancelled the project some years later.
Today, the 280FX is one of three of Enstrom’s production models, the others being the F-28F and 480B. The 280FX features a rotor diameter of 18.25 ft (5.56 m), a gross weight of 2,600 lb (1,179 kg) and useful load of 930 lb (422 kg). It has a maximum cruise speed of 75 kt (139 km/h) and service ceiling of 9,000 ft (2,743 m).
Photo by Brent Bundy, Vertical Magazine, for Enstrom Helicopter Corp.
Description by Dan Gettinger
Resources:
- Enstrom F-28, Vertipedia, Vertical Flight Society
- Enstrom History, Enstrom Helicopter Corp. website
- Piston F-28F & 280FX, Enstrom Helicopter Corp. website
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