VAI Member Spotlight: Hill Helicopters, England The maker of a new helicopter seeks to replicate the supercar experience in the air. By Jen Boyer Growing up in England in the 1980s, Jason Hill watched Airwolf, the iconic television show that featured a fictional advanced supersonic assault helicopter with stealth capabilities. Like many in his generation who later ended up working in the helicopter industry, Hill found the show sparked in him a passion for aviation. He wanted to fly an aircraft just like the Airwolf helicopter. When he learned that there was no such sleek aircraft with a futuristic design in existence, he decided to build something similar to it himself. Hill earned an honors degree in mechanical engineering from Aston University in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, and a doctorate in computational aerodynamics from Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, England. After years of working for AgustaWestland (now Leonardo), he established his own engineering business. When his team wasn’t solving engineering challenges for clients, they were designing Hill’s dream helicopter, which would become the HX50. Development of the HX50 By 2020, Hill had a strong concept in place and began attracting interest from operators who sought a new kind of helicopter with a sleek, luxury supercar–like design and superior functionality and performance. He formed Hill Helicopters, based in Stafford, England, in July 2020 and began taking orders for the HX50. The HX50, a five-seat modern, stylish, and affordable helicopter, features a composite design, a Hill Helicopters–developed turbine powerplant, a high-end automobile-style interior, and a company-designed glass cockpit. Hill’s helicopter concept goes beyond style and performance to simplify the aircraft manufacturing process by designing and building the airframe, engine, and avionics in-house, eliminating third-party supply chain issues. HX50 Certification Process Hill Helicopters also approached certification from a different angle. The HX50 meets FAA Part 27 standards and comes with an experimental certification. Each aircraft is constructed at the company’s factory, and operators participate in a two-week build course in the United Kingdom, thus qualifying the aircraft for experimental amateur-built airworthiness certification. For private use only, the HX50 allowed Hill Helicopters to begin selling aircraft sooner while it navigates full type certification for its commercial design—the HC50. The company is designing the HX50 to meet or exceed all commercial type-certification requirements. The HC50 will be the exact same aircraft, except it will be fully type certificated for unrestricted use. Key Features The new helicopter features a 5,000-hour time between overhauls on every component, including the gearbox and engine. The aircraft’s structure and certain composite components are expected to last 15,000 to 20,000 hours. The aircraft features an 800-kg (1,764-lb.) payload capacity, storage for bags, and a fuel capacity of 175 gal. Its maximum range is 700 nm, and it is expected to cruise at a minimum of 140 kt. The company reports an order book for more than 1,300 aircraft between the experimental HX50 and the future, commercial–certificated HC50. The first flight of the HX50 is scheduled for December 2025, with the start of production currently planned for December 2026. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
