Thanks for the friendly reply Nige :D

I did click on the link - it doesn't show any price change, hence my question...

Sorry, it’s there in black and white.
Scroll down.

The skids have always been on the configurator; this is merely the first render of them.

Positively sceptical
 

More glossy pics.

They do seem to be very good at marketing.

Has anyone seen any ‘real’ pics.

I may have missed it but I would have thought their engine would be on show somewhere seeing as next year there will be a working prototype.

Wonder how the positioning wheels attach to the skids? Perhaps the art team haven’t spoken to anyone in engineering yet.
Every marketing image just looks like a cgi-designer’s wet dream.
If the final product comes close to any of this, they would have done well.
Skepticism turned up to 11.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c7c77497f1.png
Wow, that glass goes all the way around the transmission tower - what the heck supports it?
And the structural strength of the cabin relies on the skinny bits between the glass panels.

Having looked at the full presentation (must have cost a heap, good CGI) all I see is a shallow floor, which would have trouble containing a fuel cell - must be under the back seat?
Where do the floatation bags fit?
Where are the air vents for (a) air conditioning, and (b) fresh air?
The cargo compartment shows a dished pan as its roof, I can only suppose that is the fireproof container below the engine bay.
That cyclic stick - well, Frank Robinson showed us that unusual ideas can work, so let's wait for the reports from real pilots when the real aircraft does a real flight.

Agreed, a lot of this seems impossible. They claim to have flying prototypes by next year but I think that will either not happen or they will bare virtually no resemblance to the CGI.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fbb435593.jpeg
Explain your structural concerns to me again about the amount of glass around the cabin roof...I'm not sure I follow?

That Bell has nothing on top of the cockpit. You could literally remove the windshield, making it open-cockpit, and it would still fly just fine. But the Hill has the mast, and possibly fuel, above the rear seats. On a hard landing it seems like the roof would collapse, killing people. Seems like it might collapse even in ordinary circumstances.

There's three black supports coming out from under the cowling, one going towards the front. Hard to see but it's there. Feels like there should be another two coming out to the front door pillars.

Everything about this marketing ploy seems like 'Get rich quick' 'Learn the secret way to burn fat without dieting' and 'Improve your golf swing in 5 mins' type of selling - trying to suck you in with promises of 'information not made available to the public' if you sign up for a presentation - that sounds like Amway ffs.

I'm with Bellringer on the Skeptic scale

It's not sold out...
 

To add to the cheap feeling marketing approach mentioned above, I must have had 15 emails extending the deadline for signing up for their pressure sales pitch with Agent Orange and Ruben thingy. I signed up for a session in the early days then cancelled when I read the comedy price point. The first deadline was in April I think!

Reminds me of a furniture discounter with their permanent sales.

"We have just added more options for you to book your HX50 Helicopter private presentation, until the 27th of August.

You can book yours here:

https://calendly.com/hillhelicopters/hx50-presentation-by-hill-helicopters

Looking forward to share with you many details such as the disruptive technology, the price and the opportunity to pre-order.

Cheers,

Ruben Dias"

HX50
 

I think healthy skepticism and debate is a good thing and let's not forget that these comments are against a backdrop of an industry substantially deprived of innovation and product development, where nothing ever really changes, so it's not surprising that people that haven't engaged with the company have their doubts - if you take the time to talk/listen to the team behind this I have little doubt you too would be convinced. Nor is it surprising that a pretty complacent industry is now squealing a little as their apple cart is disrupted...

One thing is very clear though, lots of very experienced private owner-operarors, themselves very savvy, hard-nosed business people can see what has been done and are convinced this is what us private owners have been waiting for. Furthermore, whether you like their marketing approach or not, it's working - HX50 is selling like hot cakes!

When it comes to the battle of the felt tip fairies on who has the best CGI renderings, I can see more things in here that I can relate to a workable helicopter than I can see in the electric shuttle offerings.

Same as Ponzi and pyramid schemes did, all the way to the inevitable collapse.

[QUOTE=Ascend Charlie;11100674]
Wow, that glass goes all the way around the transmission tower - what the heck supports it?
And the structural strength of the cabin relies on the skinny bits between the glass panels.


Have you not heard of transparent aluminum? Have you not seen the Star Trek movies? That was classic!

Oh I really hope this gets produced, it would be very exciting, but it seems very pie-in-the-sky. We'll see. I do agree it is much more practical than e-VTOL designs (i.e. "manned drones"), especially autonomous ones.

Cran, your enthusiasm for the project is to be admired, I just hope you don't lose your shirt (assuming your real name isn't Jason, that is)

But the inference that those of us who aren't 'in the club' are somehow mis- or under-informed grates a little.

Is the rest of the industry really quaking in its boots? Any real evidence of this? Not the people I have talked to, they think it's all at best pie in the sky, at worst a big fat scam.

And is it really selling like hot cakes? If so, why are the 'once in a lifetime/don't miss out' marketing presentation deadlines constantly extended? A normal company with a runaway success story would be saying "initial orders are full, so the price is going up and you can't get one until 2025".

I'm not sure if I read it in this thread or somewhere else, but consider your deposit similar to sending money to Kickstarter. Hell, in business I've done many silly investments, but every once in awhile you hit one out of the park. I don't personally know Cran, but I don't think there is anything wrong with his positive spin. I've sat through many Q & A's with Jason, Mischa and Ruben. I encourage you to do the same. They welcome questions from everyone in the chat. If you are worried about the structure and how the windscreen is going to support the mast, this is probably the wrong place to ask. Too many armchair quarterbacks who don't hold a chance of answering your questions accurately and beside all of that, joining one of these sessions is free with no high intensity marketing to take your money. You can turn your video off and probably join under an assumed name if you like (I'm not tech savvy, but I'm sure you could). What holds you back? I put in a deposit for #24. I feel good about it and realize I'm rolling dice. There hasn't been a phone call with Jason that was ignored or a question directed at his team (that I was privy to) that was dodged. If you sit in several of these Q & A's, you'll hear questions asked you never even thought of asking yourself and they are all answered. He gives us regular updates as purchasers. Insinuating a"Ponzi scheme" is a real stretch, but I am guessing Jason and his team have heard it all. At the end of the day, it either happens or it doesn't. Without any disrespect to anyone on this board, I am betting that as affordable as Jason makes this helicopter, it is still out of reach for many. Don't let that fact pull you to the side of the naysayers. When your kid was learning to ride a two-wheeler, did you wish them to fall and get hurt or did you encourage them to succeed? I know that we are talking two different fish here, but join a Q & A and put your mind at ease (or not). How much criticism did Frank Robinson take over the years, but his helicopters still fly. Can you imagine the chatter if we had internet forums such as this back in the late 70's? Frank would have been lambasted. Cheers, Matt

Well I hope Hill helicopters do get to produce this, I remember reading some of Hill helicopters thoughts on current designs and I agree with him certainly on the interiors. They are a bit agricultural, having watched countless videos on various types the turbine start-up procedures seem a bit quirky and 1970s. The contortionist position, leaning over to twist the throttle on the collective whilst hold in a button watching temp gauges etc.
If cars were based on helicopter design I'd still be setting my ignition timing manually as I drove.
In some older machines, the instrument binnacle looks like someone threw the instruments at it randomly and yes I appreciate pilots have a system of scanning the gauges but I frequently see a mishmash and large wasted areas on many machines.

One modern machine I really like, well given its price point is the Bell 505. Its interior and instrument cluster are so elegant and functional, the turbine start up procedure is very 2020, just one control and let the dual Fadecs do there thing and the simple switch on the collective, Idle or Fly, surely that's were helicopter design should be.

On Hill Helicopters FB page there are some great renderings showing very modern interiors, the instrument cluster looks as if it has been lifted straight from a German luxury wagon, an Audi A7 or a large Merc and why not, the technology is there today. I hope they are successful and perhaps it will kick start a change in the industry.
You can probably guess I am not a pilot ( I did not have the money) but I have flown in many types for business, if my fortunes improve a PPL is on my list.