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Sorry to brake the general mood here but I wish all the best to Jason Hill ! :ok:

He is a well known engineer and an enthusiast helicopter private pilot and reminds me Bruno in some aspects so he's got all my respect :)
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Those images are CGI.
 

He may be keen and well-intentioned but is he going to deliver or disappoint?

I think he will deliver but not for the price quoted or in the time scales. More like 3-5 years for the first few prototypes.

I can't answer this question, because unlike most of those who have the answer here, I have very little knowledge of the design and production of light helicopters.

I can only say that they have the motivation and the knowledge to succeed and that's what I wish for them. :)
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....20199a1ef6.jpg

"Special Conditions"?

I suspect the "special conditions" are those referred to (price rise etc) in the email Hill sent out today:"We are thrilled to let you know that the HX50 pre-order program has been a huge success, with over 550 HX50 orders from 50 countries.
Today, we are announcing a base price adjustment from £495,000 to £595,000, in line with the overwhelming demand for the HX50 and worldwide market conditions.
We have just launched our last pre-order program which still allows you to order your HX50 under very special conditions. Starting at £472,000, there will be a gradual price increase of £1,000 every 3 HX50 serial numbers ordered. These preferred discounted terms will end when the price reaches £595,000 or on the day of the first flight of the HX50 (whichever comes first).As our previous pre-order programs this last one will continue to be more rewarding to anyone who orders earlier than later."

And so the price hikes begin - couldn't possibly have seen that coming - nor the push to get people to invest early, is he running out of cash?

planning decision on new factory expected Dec 15th...

192 public comments, vast majority are objections

Planning Applications - Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

£ 75 k for a planning application !!!

Bet it only really costs £500 in materials :E

GIve credit where credit is due. Everything went up, so I find this price increase justified.

With headline inflation at 10-11% a 20% price increase seems to have some extra 'margin' built in. Or is aerospace inflation greater than the headline numbers?
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It's more the 1k every 3 serial numbers that is super cheesy and leaves an impression they are in a rush to try grab as much cash as quickly as possible.

So if you were the depositor for s/n 525, your price was £495k. But if you were one of the 'lucky 3' who orders 526-528, you pay £472k. Have I got that right?

And when is the delivery of your ship being promised? How many 'finishing bays' (where owners help build the aircraft) will they have? As each one can only build 25 per year, that's a lot of years until your aircraft turns up.

I am more and more convinced that this project is burning through cash at a rate that is beginning to worry even CRAN (sorry....I mean Jason Hill. They are DEFINiTELY different people). Normal business practice would have been to cap the 'early adopter' list at say 200/250 then charge a premium once you had an aircraft flying as it will still take a few years to get the early ships built. This whole scenario just smacks of a cash grab.

Mmmm.. I will admit this recently pricing scheme does look a little odd, then again I am not a businessman

I don't think they have a working engine yet, but they hope to "by early next year"

3 types of lies: small lie, big lie and statistics.
Some stuff has gone up way more than 20%. Me, personally, had to increase salaries 25+% to retain skilled workers. That's on top of production costs increase. So, price increase itself might not be fishy. But all this "hurry to get yours ASAP because we are sliding price up" definitely is.
And just to make sure, I am one of the pesimists regarding what was promised here

It's a shame this doesn't apply to pilot wages/rates, they seem to be immune to any inflation since about 1998

:D Brilliant!

His funding model has a flaw, it requires them to meet deadlines. If he can't, then Hill can't convert deposits into subsequent payments and has to keep loading the pipe with pre-orders. You have to wonder what governance is in place, at some point you have no hope of delivering pre-orders in any reasonable timeframe.
What happens if planning permission doesn't pass and that long battle starts - what is plan B? How long will that take?
Can they move assembly offshore?
This assumes no other technical delays, or hard lessons being learned in the process - something no other manufacturer manages to avoid.
Costs must have increased, it has affected every industry, the cash can't be lasting as long as originally expected.
Would love to see their cashflow.
Some of the newer, better funded, EV manufacturers have developed a good product. What they have struggled with is setting up efficient manufacturing.