How I Came to Meet Enstrom….
Text: Jaroslav Špaček
In January 2017, I took up the position of Director of the Pardubice Flight Training Center of the state-owned company LOM PRAHA. When the director of LOM offered me this position at the time, the main reason gave rise to the possibility that, after eight years with the air ambulance service, I would again fly the Mi-24 These beasts were undergoing general overhaul at LOM and this was always followed by the obligatory test flight. I had experience with this type of work and was looking forward to it.
The second attraction to accept the post that came up during the interview was the line ‘Instead of the Mi-2s, you will get a new helicopter’. So I accepted, started to get acquainted with the environment and the many tasks that the CLV required at that time (not much different today). Finally, around March, I asked: ‘So tell me Roman, what will the new helicopter be, anyway?’ The answer was surprising….’what? You haven’t chosen one yet?’
So I started playing around with specifications in the evenings, which I then fine-tuned with my helicopter pilot colleagues, and finally came up with a tender for a light, single-engine training helicopter with a turbine engine, a ‘glass cockpit’, equipment for carrying payloads and flying with NVG. In the end, four companies entered the competition with offers. If I go from the most expensive, there was the Airbus H-125, Agusta (Swidnik) SW-4, Bell 505 and Enstrom 480B-G. The H-125 was expensive to the point of absurdly so, and its agility was not entirely suitable for basic training. The Poles from the academy in Deblin themselves warned us against the SW-4, and the Bell 505 was not able to deliver NVG certification on time. So we were left with the Enstrom... No one really liked it, it didn't dazzle in any way, but it met all the conditions of the competition, and it was also the cheapest. A contract was signed for the lease of four helicopters in military camouflage with yellow trim and the installation of a third, military, radio. The camouflage scheme roughly corresponded to that of Czech military helicopters (albeit with one less grey shade, that of the bottom colour) and came from the well-known aviation journalist Petr Kolmann, who later also designed camouflage schemes for the L-39NG and Z-143/242.
Even before the arrival of our Enstroms, I, together with two other CLV instructors with civilian licenses, retrained on helicopter OK-ENS with an analog instrument panel and on OK-ENG with a glass cockpit G1000 of the Hradec Králové company DSA. I was retrained by Canadian instructor Charles Powis, and recertification, including that of an instructor, was conducted by Dan Tucek. There was one little gem from flying with Charles, coming when he specified a place for me to land in the middle of a forest on an area that an experienced ambulance pilot would not be ashamed of, I pointed out that it was a single-engine helicopter… the answer that made its way back to me was ‘But it has a good engine, you have to have faith in it!’ And I started to like flying that little thing!
On June 1st, 2018, another Enstrom instructor, an American, and I flew the first machine, still with the American registration N829JK, from Hradec Králové to Pardubice, so that we could show it off at an aviation day event the following weekend. Since the first two helicopters were still American property, I could not fly it alone. During the flight, at my request, we tried some maneuvers.
On June 20th, we flew the machines with military registrations 0474 and 0473 from Hradec to Pardubice. After flying over VPD 27, I hung above Bravo taxiway to slowly fly the helicopter under the streams from the water cannon of two fire trucks. The moment I saw that the firefighters started spraying, I throttled the helicopter down to fly through the water spray. It was quite a shock when I was hit from above by a blow that felt like it came from Thor's hammer (it really was that strong!), the helicopter shook madly, sank and I only prevented a collision with the concrete below thanks to the lightning-fast lifting of the team! The fact that I couldn't see outside at all at that moment, or anything at all, is just a bare fact of life at the moment. The firefighters somehow forgot, although I had told them in the agreement, that they had to aim the water stream diagonally, to the side. They just let it go straight at each other, so the tons of water met right above me and deflected down on top of me. I managed it with honor, the helicopter too, but for a while water was still leaking out of it everywhere... So the first military flight of the brand new Enstrom might’ve ended with a collision with a lot of concrete right in front of many onlookers! A close call….
The next day, the helicopters were officially put into service at CLV. Minister Karla Slechtova was also in attendance. Helicopter 0473 was put on static display together with the just-retired Mi-2 coded 0711, while I was to do a joint demo flying 0474 with the Mi-2 coded 0718 as the Mi-2 flew off into history leaving me to do a short display with the Enstrom. Small American helicopters are (I really don't know why!) equipped with a key.
I had my first experience with a key a few years earlier, when I lost my set to my Robinson 44 overnight at the NATO Days airshow in Ostrava. You can't get into the helicopter without a key, and if you do get in, you can't start it... After some martyrdom, thanks to my acquaintances in the air force and bikers from the military police, I managed to get a replacement key made somewhere in the city, which, surprisingly, fit another one of the five Robinsons brought to Ostrava. After a short delay, we managed to take off on those sightseeing flights with all the helicopters.
So on that memorable day, I turned on the battery, checked everything I needed, and pressed the start button.... and crickets… Just nothing…! So I turned off the battery, a ‘glass cockpit’ is actually a sort of Windows, and turned it on again, checked everything, pressed the button. And nothing again! The Mi-2 next to me was already spinning, time was running out and the Enstrom was completely silent. So I quickly picked up the phone and called the technicians to get the other helicopter parked a short distance from the minister ready for launch. I jumped in the electric cart, the only available means at the end of the Apron E, put the pedal to the metal and set off at a speed of twenty kilometers an hour to the ÚLs. The helicopters were prepared by our instructor, Radek Lalak, who knew the Enstrom like the back of his hand. I called out to him: ‘Mr. Lalak, I can’t get her started!’ And he just said: ‘what about the key?!’ Oh, right! The Enstrom has a key too – on the bottom left by the right foot… You have to put it in, turn it to the right and then it can be started. The interesting thing is that while the engine is running, you can pull the key out and go for a drive with it… I slapped myself on the forehead and, swearing “F***! Key!”, I drove that amazing electric car back to the stand. Well, of course, I don’t know why they turn it off on the stand!... Everything was done, but I never want another helicopter key in my care again. After the demonstration, the minister sat in the helicopter with me, so I described it to her nicely. She then said to me: ‘And why don’t I actually know you?’ I replied that I didn’t know and gave her my business card. Well – and the next day she was fired. Since then, I prefer not to give business cards to anyone…
Then we converted the first military instructors and on August 1, 2018, we began training the first military pilots. Lieutenant Antonin Onuca was the very first to make history. That's how military pilots began training on Enstroms here.
And how satisfied are we with that little thing? Very much so. I don't know of a better training helicopter with a turbine engine and normal control sticks that would be available today. In fact, no other is being produced! Thanks to the increasing requirements of the Czech Air Force for pilot training, a total of nine machines are or have been operated by the CLV. First, four camouflaged machines were purchased, which were later supplemented by two white ones (0484 and 0485), taken over from the defunct company LOM PRAHA Trade. Because that wasn't enough, three more helicopters were leased from the DSA company (0515, 0516 and the black coded 0522 with an analog instrument panel). However, the last-named one, due to its equipment, only flew in the CLV for a short time. After more than 14,000 flight hours and almost 62,000 landings, I think it is possible to objectively evaluate the helicopter, even in comparison with the previously and widely used Mi-2s.
Petr Hladík, one of the most experienced pilot-instructors at CLV with more than 4,000 hours of flight time logged on the Mi-2, comments: ‘The Enstrom 480 is much friendlier to young, novice pilots, who are able to learn the basics of piloting techniques faster on it. It is equipped with a modern glass cockpit based on the Garmin G1000H with an NVG mode, allowing training with night vision goggles. Due to the skid landing gear, the same direction of rotation of the main rotor, and the digital cockpit, subsequent retraining to the introduced helicopters of the H-1 system is much smoother. Modern avionics allow for instrument training, including RNP procedures and approaches, and the equipment with a suspension hook allows for training flights utilizing that aspect of flying. True, we only carry a ninety-kilogram ‘bag’ under us, but with such a small baby, the need for power changes when lifting it is very similar to large helicopters. The Enstrom is smaller and lighter, which amounts to only a third of the fuel consumption compared to the Mi-2 helicopter, while its cockpit is larger, more comfortable and its abundant glazing provides excellent visibility in all directions. It is able to fly in stronger winds than the Dash Two. Its disadvantage is the single-engine concept, which is common for this category of helicopters in terms of price and operating costs, and the fact that it lacks IFR certification precisely because of this concept and the absence of an autopilot.
The second posting by Vit Kucera is also a bit about a comparison with the Mi-2: ‘The type on which I experienced my rough beginnings in helicopter flying was the Mi-2. The helicopter was not very pretty to me, for example compared to the Mi-24 that I flew later, and even then it suffered from not very powerful engines, compared to the weight of the helicopter. But as a preparation for other Mil types, the ‘Dash Two’ was more than good. When I met it again at the CLV after years as an instructor, I was not at first enthusiastic at all, because it was no prettier than before and still not very powerful... Moreover, outside visibility was not great, so, for example, flying at ground level was very uncomfortable. But thanks to the large volume of flight hours during training with Iraqi pilots, I eventually took it to heart. Not that I shed a tear when the Mi-2 was taken out of service, that's for sure, but I experienced ‘something’ with that type.
Enstrom… Hmm, again very rough beginnings for me. But for completely different reasons. At first glance, the helicopter was about 2% nicer than the Mi-2 and I already had experience flying other types, including a short episode on a small Schweizer. So I hoped that it would ‘somehow work itself out’ right away. But it didn’t! Compared to Mil types, the Enstrom is something completely different. Less weight, so less inertial forces, but a significantly higher maneuverability, direct control without hydraulics, you can see it beautifully, when flying with a reasonable amount of fuel it is also quite powerful… except for the ‘torques’… So at first it was a lot more work than I expected, but after getting used to it I have to say that it is an absolutely amazing helicopter. Although it doesn’t look like it – it really feels fragile, but its construction is very durable and it can withstand hundreds of autorotations, simulations of rotor or engine failure, with honor. So hats off! When, after a few years (at least I did), you get used to it, learn to read it ‘with your ears and your butt’, find out when and what to look out for, you realize that it is a pure joy to fly, or at least sit in it, teach someone else and pretend that they can fly it. So I am very glad that I was able to become this familiar with the Enstrom, the joy of our paths intersecting was certainly greater than that of the Mi-2, and so I just hope that it will last in the CLV for a long time.
Another observation from fellow pilot Martin Janďourek: ‘From the outside, the helicopter looks small, but from the inside, you feel like you're flying in something significantly bigger. Everything is simple and clear. With the Garmin 1000, all the information is in one place, which spoils students during IFR (instrument flight) training because it doesn't force them to scan the instruments. The Mi-17, which I flew before, allows you to fly ‘forcefully’ with excess power, and people who get used to it stop flying by their ass and are then surprised when the power is not enough for them. The Enstrom subconsciously forces you to fly the ‘path of least resistance’, that is, with feeling and with a small excess of power, even though you don't actually have to fly that way. And then you'll be pleasantly surprised that it sometimes lets you load it too. It beautifully demonstrates all the helicopter theory in practice during emergencies. It's playful on the ground and the impression from a height of 50 feet is that you are very high (compared to, for example, a Mi-17). When flying along a route, there is little difference between travel speed and maximum speed, so if you get behind, you will never catch up. So from the beginning you force students to pay attention to calculating flight time. In the rain, you can't see much from it and you also pray that the water doesn't trigger the chip signaling in the final reducer. In other words - it's a great helicopter for training and I'm glad we met!
And finally an evaluation of pilot Tomas Brustik, who has flown airplanes his whole life – from the L-29, through the L-39, the L-159 to the L-410, and even single-engine piston toys, even trying his hand at the Čmelák and today he puts on displays with the likes of the legendary C-11: ‘From the perspective of a pilot who has flown airplanes his whole life, a helicopter was a challenge. With the Mi-2, I learned for the first time in my life what it is to fly a naturally unstable machine. But it still had two engines. But I understood that there is no room for letting go of the controls and that flying an airplane is actually a ‘toy’. And then came the En-480. It was a great change. Suddenly I found order in the cockpit, the checklist had logic and meaning, it was not an on-board chaos like with the Mi-2... But most importantly, I understood that ‘in it’ you are completely alone and with only one engine. With minimal time to react in case of an emergency, with sensitive controls and zero rescue equipment. That's what guys with excess power and a parachute up their asses are talking about! But a helicopter - that's something completely different! Either you grow up with it, or you'll always play second fiddle. Crop dusting was and is very hard work, flying a helicopter is closely connected to it. When you realize that you're actually just taming an unbalanced entity, you sometimes have to admit that it's hard work too, because you can't switch off in a helicopter even for a second. And so, after years of flying, I came to the sad realization that fighters are not TOP, maybe that's how quickly they can independently assess circumstances. After all, they still have the bang seat under them, enough power, usually great altitude and a lot of time to solve difficult moments. And what did Enstrom give me? it gave me back my numb humility and brought me the realization of what a joy it is to learn something again.
If I summarize all of the above and add a little something, the Enstrom is significantly easier to maintain than the Mi-2. Although the technicians are not entirely thrilled with the fact that the entire cyclic control unit is actually located in the fuselage and is therefore significantly more difficult to access than in other helicopters. Yes, that is why the Enstrom has no rods to the rotor head, because all three lead inside the hollow shaft. This design is significantly more resistant in the event of a collision with birds or power lines. The periods between regular maintenance are also longer. The Rolls-Royce 250-C20W engine with an output of 313 kW is among the most reliable engines in the world and allows the replacement of individual modules directly at the CLV. Here it is possible to repair some units yourself (as opposed to the Mi-2 or Mi-17 helicopters), such as the cyclic control unit, the balancing rotor or the freewheel clutch. For the kind of helicopters that beginners receive during their training, they are really reliable, and it is no problem to fly them for around 400 hours a year. Due to its small size, the helicopter is very easy to handle; in the event of a forced landing in terrain outside the airport, the helicopter can be easily loaded up on a flatbed or something and brought back to base.
After every 100 hours of work (and more), a flight is performed, which also includes a vibration measurement. The parameters are evaluated directly by technicians on board the helicopter. With the introduction of the Enstroms, the technicians had to become familiar with a new measuring technique that measures vibration parameters directly in the air and at all speeds in flight, which had never been done on the technology used so far.
The En-480 is not really a beauty, from the side it looks a bit like a squashed banana. They say that what looks nice also flies nice. In the case of the Enstrom, it is the complete opposite, it flies great. Much better than it looks... At first glance, it is not very pretty, the front has some fairly graceful shapes, but then - it is as if the designers ran out of imagination and the tail and landing gear look a bit like an afterthought coming from a completely different workshop, perhaps in a completely different world. Among our technicians, it has earned the nickname ‘fruit fly’. Otherwise, the Enstrom is amazingly controllable, you just have to think and make a small movement with the control stick and it will simply do what the pilot wants it to do. It has no hydraulic boosters, only electric balancing. In the beginning, however, it is necessary to be constantly on the alert with the students, the helicopter is sensitive to the use of the left leg or the rapid lifting of the collective - then there is a risk of exceeding the torque (torque on the transmission shaft) in a moment or two. That is why pilots learn piloting skills on this type, and not the use of brute force. It is great during autorotation, because it has a huge range of possible main rotor speeds. Otherwise, it is playful and agile and brings experienced pilots real joy of flying, it also allows excellent training in tactical flying very close to the ground. And what is the huge advantage? That it is incredibly quiet compared to the noisy Mi-2. After the introduction of the En-480, the number of complaints about noise decreased by 90%. Simply thanks to it, even when we fly very intensively, we do not disturb the locals as much.
Overview of military En-480B:
0459 En-480B-G serial number: 5242 N832AD Kaspar
0460 En-480B-G serial number: 5243 N832CZ Taxis
0473 En-480B-G serial number: 5240 N829GY Pernstejn
0474 En-480B-G serial number: 5241 N829JK Arnost
0484 En-480B-G serial number: 5230 N546HE OK-VRG
0485 En-480B-G serial number: 5245 N832DQ OK-LPT
0515 En-480B-G serial number: 5157 N480PD OK-ENG
0516 En-480B-G s.nr.: 5229 N546EE OK-ENV
0522 En-480B s.nr.: 5083 G-TRYX OK-ENS