Hiller XH-44 – Photos & Videos

Hiller Aircraft Company was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters. Stanley Hiller, then seventeen, established the first helicopter factory on the West Coast of the United States, located in Berkeley, California, in 1942, under the name “Hiller Industries,” to develop his design for the coaxial-rotor XH-44 “Hiller-Copter” for the U.S. Army. The XH-44 became operational in 1944. In collaboration with Henry J. Kaiser, it became United Helicopters in 1945. In the postwar years, United Helicopter produced a number of innovative helicopter designs for military and civilian purposes, including coaxial-rotor and tailless designs, as well as more conventional models. In January, 1949, a Hiller 360 became the first civilian helicopter to cross the United States

Source: Hiller XH-44 on Wikipedia

The Hiller XH-44 was an experimental helicopter developed by Stanley Hiller Jr. in the early 1940s. It was the first successful coaxial helicopter in the United States and the first helicopter to use all-metal rotor blades. The XH-44 was designed as a proof-of-concept for Hiller’s innovative rotor system, which used counter-rotating blades to eliminate the need for a tail rotor. The XH-44 had a two-seat open cockpit, a tubular steel frame, and a 90-horsepower Franklin engine. It made its first flight in July 1944 and demonstrated excellent stability and maneuverability. The XH-44 was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution and is currently on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.