Enstrom began by attempting to design his own helicopter. His lack of training in this area meant that his first efforts were not outstanding, but his efforts were noticed by local Upper Peninsula businessmen, who decided to back him. They recruited several experienced aeronautical engineers, and the group was incorporated as the R.J. Enstrom Co.. The company's first product was the piston-powered F-28. However, Enstrom had been removed from the company before that product came onto the market, although the company continued to carry his name. In October 1968, a controlling interest in Enstrom was bought by Purex Industries, who wanted to develop a turbine powered version, a project that was not completed until over 20 years later. The lack of success with this venture led the piston engine variants to languish and the Purex stake was bought by F. Lee Bailey, a well-known American criminal defense attorney, in January 1971, changing to the current name. Bailey was an enthusiastic entrepreneur and soon had the factory producing over a hundred units per year. He also orchestrated the development and certification of the 280 Shark, which was introduced to the market in 1974. It was an immediate sales success. Encouraged, Bailey embarked the design of a four-place stretched version of the Shark, but the combination of technical problems with this development and a cooling economy drained the company's financial reserves, and Bailey sold the company in 1979. Since then it has changed hands several times. Owners have included Victor Kiam and Dean Kamen, developer of the Segway PT people-mover. Kamen worked to improve the company's existing products and to introduce the turbine-powered 480, which was originally developed as a response to a request for bids on a military training helicopter. The company was sold to an unnamed Swiss investor in 2000; Kamen remained with the company as an advisor. In January 2013 the company was purchased by the Chongqing Helicopter Investment Corporation of the People's Republic of China. Jerry M. Mullins was president and CEO of Heli-Dyne Systems Inc. in Hurst, Texas before he succeeded the former CEO Peter Parsinen. Since delivering their first helicopter shortly after the Federal Aviation Administrationtype certification of the F-28 model in April 1965, Enstrom produced over 1,100 helicopters, up to July 2011. However, the Great Recession considerably slowed its output; it built only six units in 2010. By early 2013 the company was expanding, having increased its Michigan workforce by 50% and planned to expand its physical facilities, due to increased sales, mostly in Asia. The company produces three models, the F-28, the more aerodynamic 280 and the turbine-engined 480, each with their own variants. The F-28 and 280 are powered by Lycomingpiston engines similar to those found in general aviationfixed-wing aircraft. A hallmark of Enstrom's helicopter designs from the outset has been the lack of exposed pitch change links for the main rotor, as the mechanisms are contained inside the hollow main rotor shaft, lowering aerodynamic drag. Enstrom ranked third in sales of piston helicopters, with 22 machines delivered in 2018 and 16 in 2019.
