Strana 18
ENSTROM
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
INFO Eduard18
March 2026