HISTORY
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.
Jeff Hiller, the son of
Stanley Hiller, repurchased
the company in 1994 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.
Stanley Hiller donated money
and a number of aircraft to
form the Hiller
Aviation Museum in San
Carlos, California, which
opened in 1998.
In 2009, the Hiller (China)
Aircraft Manufacturing
Company began
construction of a production
facility in Zhangjiakou
City, northwest of Beijing.
The company is a joint
venture between Hiller
Aircraft Corporation,
Zhangjiakou Chahar General
Aviation Company. At the
time, Zhangjiakou Chahar
General Aviation was already
carrying out low-rate
production of UH-12 parts
and sub assemblies.
Source:
Wikipedia
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