New Helicopter Firm Wins India Contract

Hiller Helicopters, a year-old company in Irvine that has sprung Phoenix-like from assets purchased in a bankruptcy sale, has won a $500,000 contract with the Indian government that company officials say could evolve into $30 million worth of business over the next five years.

The initial agreement with India’s Ministry of Agriculture calls for Hiller to build and service two specialized heli copters and to train pilots and repairmen for the craft, company officials said Thursday.

Gerald J. Tobias, president of Hiller Helicopters, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rogerson Aircraft of Irvine, said he expects that the contract will generate future orders from India for between 80 and 100 light, economical helicopters specially designed to spray crops.

“Once they (India’s government) commit to an aircraft, they go forward,” said Tobias, who estimates that the production of agricultural helicopters for India could raise revenue “in excess of $30 million” for Hiller over the next five years. He said the first two helicopters are slated for delivery in July.

Tobias said Hiller Helicopters was born in April, 1984, when Rogerson Aircraft bought the assets of Hiller Aviation, which had gone into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and formed a new company with new management. Currently, Hiller is in the process of shutting down its old manufacturing plant in Porterville and building a $10-million production facility in Port Angeles, Wash.