Stanley Hiller, Jr. was a natural born inventor who grew up with an avid fascination for anything mechanical. He had a keen interest in aviation and, at the age of 17, founded the Hiller Aircraft Company. Two years later he built and flew a twin coaxial counter-rotating blades helicopter designated the XH-44. It was the world's first helicopter to successfully employ metal rotor blades and to demonstrate the rigid rotor concept. Hiller continued to produce and test other rotorcraft, including the first one to employ a jet of air to counteract rotor torque. By 1948, his Model 360 was the only helicopter of that period certificated by the Civil Aeronautics Administration as longitudinally stable, and the only 3-passenger all-metal utility rotorcraft. These were purchased by commercial and military customers worldwide. In 1950, at the outset of the Korean Conflict, Hiller personally directed the sales efforts that resulted in his firm producing the H-23A. Used primarily for medical evacuation, some 1,200 H-23 models were delivered to the Army in a 12-year period. During the next 25 years, the Hiller Company produced over 3,000 helicopters and participated in a wide range of other innovations that advanced the technology of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. As a helicopter pioneer, Hiller's entrepreneurial success and corporate leadership were of the highest order. He served as member and chairman of the board of directors of many companies and institutions. His many distinguished awards and recognitions include the Dr. Alexander Klemin Award of the American Helicopter Society, for notable achievement in the advancement of rotary-wing aircraft. Hiller also devoted much of his time and knowledge to the preservation of aviation heritage through the Hiller Aviation Museum and Institute.
Inducted in 2004.
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