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.
Besides helicopters, in the year
after World War II, Stanley Hiller
researched a two man rocket-jet
aircraft design that took off and
landed vertically, called the
VJ-100,
in which he tried unsuccessfully to
interest the U.S. military.
The
company was renamed
Hiller
Helicopters
in 1948. It was involved in the
development of a number of prototype
helicopters. From the early 1960s to
1969, its Palo Alto plant served as
a CIA cover for the production of
the CORONA reconnaissance satellites.
Hiller was
purchased by Fairchild Aircraft in
1964. Stanley Hiller repurchased the
company in 1973 with the help of a
dozen Thai investors led by Patrick
C. Lim, part owner of Siam Steel and
many other Asian ventures. For
ownership of Hiller aircraft, these
investors helped cover the company's
liabilities about $1 million and
commit about $10 million to build at
least 30 new helicopters at the new
East Bay production site and also
setting up the first aerospace
company in Thailand.
Source:
Wikipedia
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