The design was highly successful, being built extensively in two- and three-seat configurations for both civil and military use, and an early Model 12 was the first commercial helicopter to record a transcontinental flight across the United States. The company's first production helicopter followed and this, known as the Hiller UH-12 as Hiller had become part of United Helicopters, was of simple construction, incorporating a two-bladed main rotor and a two-bladed tail rotor on an upswept boom. Early work on the Hiller Model XH-44, UH-4 Commuter and the UH-5, which introduced a newly-developed 'Rotor-Matic' rotor control system, led to the Hiller Model 360 prototype. was formed in 1942 for the development and production of rotary-wing aircraft. Operators of the Hiller included Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Great Britain, Guatemala, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru and Uruguay. Total sales of the Hiller 12E family exceeded 2000 more than 300 were exported. The last civil variant, which appeared in 1963, was the Hiller 12L-4 which was also used as a test-bed for a PT6 turbine, but the project was taken no further. Twenty-two of these were acquired by the US Army as the OH-23F, for geodetic research.
In 1960 the Model E4 was developed from the Hiller 12E, with a longer cabin to seat four and an anhedral stabilizer on the tail boom. The US Army replaced nearly all the OH-23Ds by Hiller 12Es, designated OH-23G. The commonest version of this sturdy little helicopter was the UH-12E which had a more powerful engine. The Franklin engine had been replaced by the more powerful 320hp Lycoming VO-540, and the transmission had also been changed to increase the service life of the helicopter. A purely military version, the OH-12D, flew on 3 April 1956 and 483 went to the US Army. From 1956, 145 were delivered to the US Army as the H-23C. It retained the 200hp Franklin engine, but had all-metal rotor blades and a "goldfish bowl" cockpit canopy. In 1955 a new variant, the UH-12C, appeared. The UH-12B normally had skid or flotation gear, but a wheeled undercarriage was fitted to a batch ordered by the US Navy (the HTE-2). A considerable number were built: 216 were assigned to the Primary Flying School at Fort Walters and another 237 were used for various tasks. Its successor, the H-23B, powered by a 200-210hp Franklin engine, was the first version used by the US Army as a trainer. With an uprated engine and new UH-12A rotor blades, it was purchased by the US Army and Navy for battlefield evacuation and observation tasks, with the designation H-23 Raven, whilst the Navy ordered the same basic model as the HTE-1 for training. The later Hiller 360 leapt to fame in the summer of 1949 when it made the first transcontinental commercial flight. It was the first efficient American helicopter with coaxial, contra-rotating rotors. Stanley Hiller Jr., who built the aircraft, was something of a whiz kid, in that he designed and built his first helicopter, the XH-44, in 1944 at the age of only 18. operations.The Hiller UH-12, derived from the Model 360 two-seater of 1948 with a 180hp Franklin engine, occupies an important place in the history of the American helicopter industry in the fifties. The Bell UH-1 (Huey) was purchased from the US Military in 2010 and has become the main work horse for the Sheriff's Office and has assisted with search and rescue missions and S.W.A.T. The helicopter is equipped with a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) system, a color video camera, a 50-million candle-power "Nightsun" search light, a 350-channel radio, and a computer system. The R44 has a maximum speed of 125 mph with a maximum ceiling of 14,000 feet.
It has an enclosed cabin with two rows of side-by-side seating for a pilot and three passengers. The Robinson R44 helicopter is a single-engined helicopter with a semi-rigid two-bladed main rotor, a two-bladed tail rotor, and a skid landing gear. In 2008 the Merced County Sheriff's Office purchased its first helicopter. The flight crews began patrol operations in September 2003. The Aviation Unit started with the purchase of a Cessna 206 aircraft with a Cessna 152 following soon after that.
The unit is located at Castle Airport in Atwater. The Aviation Unit was created in August of 2003. The Aviation Unit may provide, when resources are available, air support to other law enforcement agencies in the scope of mutual aid during life-threatening and emergency situations. The Merced County Sheriff's Aviation Unit is used to provide air support to ground-based units of the Merced County Sheriff's Office engaged in all facets of law enforcement activities serving the citizens of Merced County.
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