Hill Helicopters HX50
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: England
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Very interesting project....
In the cockpit they seem to be going for ALT on the left and speed on the right while most of the glass cockpit out there (including airplanes) have it the opposite way. I wonder why they went that route?
At lot of power on paper but from the picture my perception is a very small fenestron, hopefully powerful enough. We will see
Good luck to them it seems to be very impressive product on paper
In the cockpit they seem to be going for ALT on the left and speed on the right while most of the glass cockpit out there (including airplanes) have it the opposite way. I wonder why they went that route?
At lot of power on paper but from the picture my perception is a very small fenestron, hopefully powerful enough. We will see
Good luck to them it seems to be very impressive product on paper
Originally Posted by [email protected]
lots of other people's money it would seem
They have a strong, well funded team and a leader who knows how to make things happen.
Originally Posted by [email protected]
They'll probably charge and arm and a leg for spares - those windscreens won't come cheap....
Are other manufacturers in this market sector known for the availability of reasonably priced spares?
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great White North
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Unfortunate I did not see them at Heli-Expo in Dallas, last month. That would have been a great venue to showcase all the progress they are making. They could possibly have given some tips on rapid prototyping and production to both airframe and engine OEMs, or at least on how to make the best computer aided graphics in the business!
Fly Safe, Always
Fly Safe, Always
Originally Posted by [email protected]
They'll need that when they have to manage customers expectations downwards
No, just a bigger dose of scepticism than others I guess - the promises of people who need your money to make their dreams come true always ring alarm bells with me.
The old adage of 'If it looks to good to be true, it usually is' - is easily applied to a company making a brand new helicopter and engine from the ground up that will beat all the existing offerings from companies who have huge R and D budgets and promises a revolution in light helicopter ownership.
Dry weight of 850Kg and 800Kg of payload, minimum cruise of 140Kts, MAUM OGE hover at 10,000' with a 500'/min vertical climb rate? If that doesn't all sound far too good to be true then I've got some ideas you might want to invest in......
The old adage of 'If it looks to good to be true, it usually is' - is easily applied to a company making a brand new helicopter and engine from the ground up that will beat all the existing offerings from companies who have huge R and D budgets and promises a revolution in light helicopter ownership.
Dry weight of 850Kg and 800Kg of payload, minimum cruise of 140Kts, MAUM OGE hover at 10,000' with a 500'/min vertical climb rate? If that doesn't all sound far too good to be true then I've got some ideas you might want to invest in......
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My biggest concern / point of skepticism is that they are developing their own engine. I don't even see the point of doing that, but then I know nothing about engines. But that's a huge risk. It sounds like they don't even have a working engine yet, yet they have ambitious goals about creating a flying prototype soon? And there's no way they'll meet their price target, but if the experimental version costs no more than a Bell 505 and it actually works as well as they hope, then it should sell. Of course sales would be limited to the private market, at least in countries that prohibit commercial operations in experimentals.
Originally Posted by [email protected]
Now I have to clean the keyboard of coffee...............
If Newton were around today, his laws would define the most powerful force of all - FOMO.
Originally Posted by johni
i think the price of HX50 is about £500,000, which is less than half the price of a new Bell 505?
When (if?) it actually exists, has proven specs and a final price tag, comparisons can be drawn.
Until then, it is all just intellectual masturbation.
Originally Posted by johni
I guess the market for the HX50 is the private owner who doesn't fly much. Hence the R66 makes no sense as it costs £700,000 and you have to pay a lot (£270,000 ?) for a rebuild after 12 years.
Whereas the HX50 is £500,000 and has no "rebuild clock ticking" as soon as you buy it.
Other options are Hughes 500 (expensive, cramped), Bell 206 (expensive, old), EC120 (expensive, unpowered), AS350 (v expensive)
....which is probably why Hill has so many orders! (that, and the 4 axis AP and glass cockpit)
Whereas the HX50 is £500,000 and has no "rebuild clock ticking" as soon as you buy it.
Other options are Hughes 500 (expensive, cramped), Bell 206 (expensive, old), EC120 (expensive, unpowered), AS350 (v expensive)
....which is probably why Hill has so many orders! (that, and the 4 axis AP and glass cockpit)
I think we all get that the HX50 proposition represents a remarkable deal. It's my view that it's way TOO remarkable. As soon as the first customer machine flies, I'll eat my words and tip my hat to the Hill team. Until then, it's just blah blah.
