More than 200 units of the HX50 have already been pre-sold by Hill Helicopters, surpassing the company’s own target and setting them up well through the development program and to meet the demand.

With an exact figure of 218 non-returnable deposits – a figure that continues to climb – the development program is well funded.  Work on their GT50 engine and the composite fuselage are just two of the company’s key current focus points, along with finalising the location of their production line.

First flight is on schedule for 2022, followed by first customer deliveries in 2023.

In an exclusive interview with owner Dr Jason Hill, the company has met all the major milestones to date, and he is fully confident of the schedule going forward. Hill has employed the services of a videographer, who follows him round everywhere – both to document the development of the product and company, and to demonstrate what is happening to customers, potential and actual. The first episode of the “Behind the Scenes” series has been published on YouTube.  Further episodes will follow in the next few weeks and become a regular fixture – look out for them in a separate section on the Hill website soon too.

With pre-orders from 28 countries, the Hill HX50 has clearly taken the private helicopter owner market by storm. Every continent has an HX50 on the way, with Australia, Canada, Chile, China and South Africa among the destinations – and plenty in Europe where this new OEM is based.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com