Badwater Bill wrote:

I got to talking with a buddy of mine today and he told me that the
turboed Enstrom F-28F was a great ship.

I want a personal helicopter for me mostly. My wife will go about 25%
opf the time.

I'd like to land it at 10,000 feet msl if it will do it, no big loads,
just some groceries.

How much do they cost and what is the TBO? What should I look for?

I'm serious. I was just about to buy a Robbie, but-damn, the envelope
is so tight on that ship. However, the thing I don't like about the
Enstrom is the way they buzz that engine, the probability of an engine
failure, etc. I like the idea of a turbo, but how does it cool?

Thank you for anything you can tell me or for directing me to some
people who know...or a site on the web that might shed some info on
the machine.

Bill Phillips

Well, googling on "Enstrom F28F" will get you several sites, including the
obvious first one to look at:

http://www.enstromhelicopter.com/home.html

http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRTypen/FRF28F.htm

has some claimed cost data from 1998.

From reading this it appears the 280FX would be more what you're looking
for, as it's aimed at the personal market. Slightly faster, but same
performance otherwise.

Guy