| Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Registration / Serial: | NX30033 |
| Aircraft Original Type: | Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter |
| Aircraft Generic Type: | Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter |
| Aircraft Version: | Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter |
| C/n (msn): | 1 |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| City / Airport: | Washington - Dulles InternationalMap |
| Region / Country: | Virginia, United States |
| Airport Codes: | ICAO: KIAD IATA: IAD Local: IAD Other: - |
| Collection: | National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) - Udvar-Hazy Center |
| Photo Date: | 10 November 2009 |
| Photo by: | Wolfgang Jarisch |
| Photo ID: | 836144 |
| Photo Comment |
|---|
|
The maiden flight of this experimental helicopter, designed and built by the 19-year-old Stanley Hiller Jr., took place in July 1944. The XH-44 was also the first helicopter in the US to successfully fly with a coaxial rotor, full metal blades, and a rigid rotor. Hiller used the counter-rotating coaxial configuration to differentiate his design from Sikorsky's single main rotor designs, which dominated the helicopter industry in the mid-1940s. This helicopter on display is the original, which was gifted to the museum by the Hiller Aircraft Company. This photo is copyright © Wolfgang Jarisch, and may not be used or published in any way without permission. It was added on 13 August 2025, and has since been viewed 17 times. |