Above: Steve Goldsworthy flying over the Southern California landscape. “It’s always a beautiful view, especially when you get to fly something different.” Below: Steve does his preflight check before testing his skills with the Enstrom 480B.


THE ROLLS ROYCE 250 C20W TURBINE SITS LOW IN THE AIRFRAME AND THE WIDE LANDING SKIDS MAKES A ROLLOVER SEEM ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.


The seating arrangements are flexible in this


ship. It’s the only helicopter I know where you can have three, four or even five seats, or put a full six- foot gurney into one side. The seats move around on tracks and allow for a lot of flexibility. The cabin has a long nose with lots of leg room and a foot of headroom over my 6-5 frame. For a big guy, this ship feels like it is made just for me. I’m flying with Bayard DuPont, Enstrom’s


Director of Product Support. As I depart along a river bed, I start searching for some wind. I need to find some turbulence and see how this bird handles itself. I finally spot an area just downwind of a ridge line and I am rewarded with just a few bumps. If I wasn’t flying, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed them. I say the bird handles itself, because quite frankly, it flies itself. I glance at the torque meter and


JANUARY 2012 14


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