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The Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 is a single-engine turbine, single two-bladed rotor, light
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
that was designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Hiller in the 1960s. Originally designated as the ''Model 1100'', it was produced as the company's design submission for the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
's
Light Observation Helicopter The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was a ...
(LOH) program. It was one of the three winning designs in May 1961, after which the military designation ''Hiller YOH-5'' was assigned; the prototype performed its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
on 21 January 1963. However, following extensive evaluations of the type, the Model 1100 did not receive a production contract after Hiller was underbid by the rival Hughes Tool Co. Aircraft Division's
OH-6 Cayuse The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people, while its "Loach" nickname is derived from Light Observatio ...
in 1965. Shortly following the purchase of Hiller Aircraft by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation during 1964, the company decided to focus its efforts on the Model 1100, which was marketed as the FH-1100, towards other opportunities, both on the civilian market and with international military air services. Quantity production of the FH-1100 came to an end in 1973; support for existing operators was maintained. Manufacturing was briefly restarted during the 1980s, but did not achieve large numbers. The type certificate is presently held by the FH1100 Manufacturing Corporation of
Century, Florida Century is a town in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County, Florida, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,713, up from 1,698 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola&nd ...
.


Development


Background

During the 1940s and 1950s, the American company
Hiller Aircraft Hiller Aircraft Corporation is an American private aerospace company, based in Firebaugh, California. It was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters. History Stanley Hiller, then seventeen, established t ...
had established itself as an early participant in the design and production of helicopters, producing the Hiller Model 360 for various customers. In 1960, Hiller merged with the Electra Corporation and made considerable investments into their production range, developing an improved Model 360 and seeking out other business opportunities for rotorcraft.McGowen 2005, p. 113. Simultaneously, in October 1960, the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the
Light Observation Helicopter The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was a ...
(LOH) program. Months later, Hiller, along with 12 other manufacturers, including
Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial heli ...
(Bell) and Hughes Tool Co. Aircraft Division (Hughes), decided to respond and formally entered the competition. Hiller's submission was internally designated as the ''Model 1100''. All of the submissions were evaluated by a
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
team, which recommended the Model 1100 and led to it being selected as one of three winners of the design competition by the Army in May 1961. Accordingly, the Army officially designated the Model 1100 as the ''Hiller YOH-5''. During November 1961, detailed design work on the YOH-5 commenced. On 21 January 1963, the prototype YOH-5 conducted its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
. Hiller produced a total of five aircraft that were delivered to the U.S. Army, which put them through a Test and Evaluation exercise at
Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a United States Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly named in honor of Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an Army aviator and Medal of Honor recipient. It was previously nam ...
, Alabama, in 1963. The performance of the three company's designs were competitively evaluated against one another as well as the specification requirements, leading to the rival
Bell YOH-4 The Bell YOH-4 (originally YHO-4) was a single-engine, single-rotor light helicopter, developed for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program. While the YOH-4A was unsuccessful in the original LOH competition, Bell redesigned ...
being eliminated from the program while Hiller and Hughes competed in a program cost analysis phase to receive a production contract. In 1965, it was determined that Hughes had underbid Hiller's submission and that the Army had selected Hughes' YOH-6 instead. Despite Hiller filing a formal protest, their submission was formally eliminated and Hughes was awarded a production contract for the
OH-6 Cayuse The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people, while its "Loach" nickname is derived from Light Observatio ...
.


Pursuing other opportunities

During 1967, as a result of price escalations for both the OH-6 and associated components, the U.S. Army decided Hughes that could not fulfil the contractual production demands and opted to reopen bids for the LOH program.McGowen 2005, p. 112. Despite this apparent reversal of fortunes, Fairchild-Hiller decided that it would not resubmit the YOH-5A to the competition, or make any submission; instead, the company would focus its efforts upon on the commercial sector, to which it was already marketing a civil model of the Model 1100. Even prior to the LOH program being reopened to bids, Hiller had decided to continue development of the Model 1100, which it marketed as the ''FH-1100''. In 1964, Hiller had been acquired by the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation to become Fairchild-Hiller; shortly thereafter, the new company decided to discontinue its activity on older rotorcraft in order to focus its resources on the FH-1100, which it would market primarily towards civilian customers, as well as to various international military air services. While early operators of the FH-1100 were impacted by a serious issue with the Allison Model 250-C18
turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaft horsepower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the ex ...
powerplant it used, the exhibited failure rate was less than that of the competing Bell 206A JetRanger. During 1973, due to a lack of orders, production of the FH-1100 was terminated; however, support for those rotorcraft that had already been produced was maintained. The rights to the rotorcraft were obtained by Hiller Aviation; while preparations were made to resume quantity production, but wider corporate matters proved disruptive to this ambition. In April 1984, the Rogerson Aircraft Corporation acquired Hiller and, under the name ''Rogerson Hiller Helicopters'', produced five FH-1100s over a four-year period up to 1987. The company also had plans to develop an enlarged derivative. In 2000, the
Type Certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...
was purchased by FH1100 Manufacturing Corporation. In the following years, FH1100 Manufacturing has announced its intention to resume manufacturing of the type, which will reportedly include the updating and redesign of various components such as the rotor blades, nose, and cockpit. In addition, the company provides support and training services to operators of existing FH-1100s.


Design

The Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 is a single-engine, single two-bladed rotor, light
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...
. It is a relatively conventional rotorcraft, featuring an extensive cockpit glazing that provides favourable external visibility and provides seating for four passengers in addition to the pilot. The interior is designed to suit various purposes, from a four-seat configuration intended for executive travel to a more compact five-seat arrangement; provisions for its use as both a military and utility helicopter were made from the onset. The FH-1100 is equipped with skid landing gear that is suitable for austere or rough field operations. The FH-1100 is powered by a single Allison Model 250-C18
turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaft horsepower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the ex ...
engine, capable of generating up to 317 shp (236 kW); it provided a considerable boost in performance over that of piston-powered contemporaries. However, in comparison to the similar-sized Bell 206A JetRanger, the FH-1100 has a lower continuous maximum speed and a reduced load-carrying capacity, despite sharing the same engine. Advantages over the JetRanger included a cheaper purchase cost and the inclusion of a stability augmentation system. The FH-1100 also had a greater hover ceiling than most contemporary helicopters of its size. Various considerations for ease of maintenance were also incorporated into various aspects of the rotorcraft, such as engine access.


Variants

;Hiller Model 1100 :Four-seat prototype powered by an
Allison 250 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...
-C10 engine and certified in May 1964. ;FH-1100 :Civil production five-seat model powered by an
Allison 250 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...
-C18 engine and certified in November 1966. Later production fitted with an
Allison 250 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...
-C20B engine. 246-built ;RH-1100A Pegasus :Updated civil version, built and marketed by Rogerson Hiller Helicopters. ;RH-1100M :Updated military version, built and marketed by Rogerson Hiller Helicopters. ;YOH-5A :United States Army designations for five Model 1100 for evaluation powered by a 250shp Allison T-63-A-5 engine. ;HU-1 :
Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
designation of the FH-1100.


Former operators

; *
Argentine Army Aviation The Argentine Army Aviation (, AvEj) is the army aviation branch of the Argentine Army. Their members have the same rank insignia and titles as the rest of the Army. The Army Aviation Command is based at the Campo de Mayo Military Airfield. Alo ...
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Best ''Air-Britain Archive'' September 2014, p. 120. ; * PCERJBest ''Air-Britain Archive'' September 2014, p. 117. *
Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...
*
Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
- six operated 1968–1977 ; *
Okanagan Helicopters CHC Helicopter is a Texas-based helicopter services company. CHC Helicopter maintains its global headquarters in Irving, Texas and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are ...
; * Cyprus Air Command ; *
Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force (; FAE) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Ecuador. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional objectives which guarantee sovereignty and contribute towards the nation's security an ...
One delivered 1967 ; * El Salvador Air Force - TwoBest ''Air-Britain Archive'' September 2014, p. 121. ; * Panamanian Air Force - Three operated ; *
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- 8 Units. ; * Royal Thai Border Police - 16 operated. ; * Baltimore City PoliceBest ''Air-Britain Archive'' September 2014, p. 118. *
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*
Nassau County Police Department The Nassau County Police Department (also referred to as the Nassau Police & Nassau County Police and abbreviated as NCPD) is the law enforcement agency of Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), New York, Unit ...


Specifications (FH-1100)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


External links


FH1100 Manufacturing
current Type Certificate holder.


FAA Type Certificate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairchild Hiller Fh-1100 FH-1100 1960s United States helicopters FH-1100 1960s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1963 Single-turbine helicopters Single-rotor helicopters Aircraft with skid landing gear