United Helicopters, Inc./Hiller UH-4 “Commuter”
A larger follow-on aircraft to Stanley Hiller, Jr.’s successful 1944 XH-44 Hiller-Copter single-seat co-axial helicopter, the UH-4 Commuter featured a compact, streamlined fuselage for two, with side-by-side seating. Testing began in June 1946 and eventually three Commuters were built.
The UH-4 Commuter was unveiled to the public for the first time on March 18, 1947 at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. The UH-4’s stability was shown in very low speed flight while being led around a football field by rope via Stanley Hiller, Jr. The pilot’s hands and feet were off the controls.
Originally envisioned to fulfill a role in the expected post-war personal commuter market by returning war veteran pilots who wanted to fly to work, it was superseded by increased automobile production.
However, the Commuter was destined to be Hiller’s last co-axial type and did not proceed to production. United Helicopters and Hiller decided to pursue the more well-known single-rotor helicopter after developing an improved control system, the very stable and easy to fly “Rotormatic” servo-paddles which directly controlled the teetering main rotor on subsequent Hiller helicopters.
The world’s first successful two-seat co-axial helicopter won the Grand Award at the World Inventor’s Congress in July 1947, one year after its first flight.
Characteristics:
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Engine: Lycoming 0-290-0, 150 hp (112 kW)
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Rotor diameter: 33 ft (10.09 m)
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Cruising speed: 65 knots (120 km/h)
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Range: 200 miles (320 km)
Sources:
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Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, 1949-50
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Jay P. Spenser, “Whirlybirds – A History of the US Helicopter Pioneers,” 1998
Text by Ken Bartie
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