Aviation - Enstrom Helicopter Corp. Completes Royal Thai Army Training Program

Menominee, August 4, 2011: Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has completed training of 21 Royal Thai Army pilots and 28 Royal Thai mechanics on the Royal Thai Army’s new 480B turbine training helicopters. The students were split into two groups, with the first half training in March and the second half training June.

“The pilot and mechanic training are crucial to the success of this program,” said Bayard duPont, Director of Product Support for Enstrom. “It was important for these students to come away with a great experience of the product and Enstrom’s capabilities. It’s more than just teaching them to fly a proper autorotation or track blades. It’s about building relationships. We want them to know the people at the factory, and feel comfortable asking us when questions arise.”

The pilot training included a week of ground school, specific avionics training, and 5 hours of flight training for each pilot. The mechanic training was an intensive two week classroom course. Beyond the training the students got to see the factory and experience a bit of American culture. The March group got an additional new experience, snow! “Apparently there is no Thai word for snow,” commented Enstrom’s Advanced Flight and Maintenance Instructor, Charles Powis. “The guys were a little cold, but they embraced it wholeheartedly. A few even tried their hand at sledding on the snow piles in the parking lots.” On a more serious note though, Powis was impressed with their abilities with the aircraft. “The pilots took to the 480B right away. They were all instructors, and will be teaching the next generation of RTA pilots to fly. I think the new pilots will be in good hands. The mechanics were knowledgable, and worked very hard learning the 480B. They will have no trouble keeping the aircraft well maintained.”

The 480B was selected in a competitive bidding process that included aircraft from 7 different major manufacturers for a program that includes 16 aircraft, spares, tooling, and training.