Hill Helicopters’s order book stands at 830 as the company finished its first complete fuselage and tailboom assembly for the HX50, nearly completed the design of its GT50 turbine engine, and manufactured a variety of components such as turbine fans, gears, and bearings. Separately, the company said it plans to publicly unveil its first completed helicopter on December 7 during an event at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, UK.
“When you come to the event, you will be able to experience HX50 for the very first time. You'll be able to sit in the seats, you'll be able to see the lines of the aircraft, use the digital cockpit and experience what it's going to be like to own one of these for yourself,” said Hill CEO and founder Jason Hill during his monthly webcast. “You’ll also get to experience the GT50 engine for the first time. And we’ll be rolling out the drivetrain and the rotor systems.”
According to Hill, the order book is split between 673 HX50 kit helicopters and 157 to-be-certified HC50 variants from customers in 59 countries. He also provided additional details regarding standard equipment on board the helicopter that includes leather seats, climate control, digital cockpit, two-axis autopilot, retractable landing gear, and a choice of colors.