MENOMINEE, Mich. — The sound of starting turbine engine and the brush whip of rotor blades is a common sound at Menominee Regional Airport in Menominee, Michigan.
It’s where — for decades — Enstrom Helicopter Corp. has built helicopters for customers all over the world.
It’s also where Phillip Heiner started working as a mechanical engineer about four months ago.
“I love anything that defies gravity. Helicopters definitely do that,” he said. “One of the cool things about Enstrom is they build the majority of the components here in-house. From the fiberglass shell to the little, tiny components that are machined that go into every little nook and cranny of the helicopter.”
Heiner designs and develops new parts for the company’s helicopters.
“It’s fun being able to walk through the company itself and see raw material come in and then a helicopter come out in about two weeks,” he said.
About 90% of each Enstrom helicopter is built onsite in Menominee.
The business faced some bumpy years but reemerged under new ownership in 2022. The aircraft are used for everything from private aviation to foreign military training and agricultural applications.
As it moves forward, the company is seeking people for roles ranging from flight test engineers to CNC machinists.
Chief Commercial Officer Dennis Martin said finding engineers is one of the priorities for the company.
“We actually build the aircraft from scratch,” he said. “Raw metal comes in one end — engines and some other parts — and we cut and draft and weld and bang and pound all of that into a completed helicopter. They are sold all over the world.”
Martin has been with Enstrom 17 years.
“The company is growing quite a bit. We’ve got a lot of investment behind us,” he said. “Primarily, we’re looking for engineers. We’re really looking for experienced aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers. Draftspeople. Anybody with some engineering experience we’re looking for that to help certify new products and help update what we’re manufacturing.”
Chuck Wade joined the company two months ago as a project manager.
“With the helicopter there’s a lot of moving parts, literally,” he said. “To see that whole machine just kind of lift off and that everything is working, it’s very rewarding.”
Heiner landed the job after seeing Enstrom helicopters at an airshow in Indiana. He’s now helping produce them.
“I’ve always wanted to get here in aerospace and now that I’m here, I love it,” Heiner said.
Available careers at Enstrom can be found here.
