Hiller UH-12

Hiller Aircraft Company · United States · first flew 1948 · helicopter

The Hiller UH-12 (US Army designation H-23 Raven) was a light three-seat piston helicopter widely used for military observation and training and as a civilian utility helicopter, notable for its Hiller Rotormatic control system using servo-rotor paddles.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Three-seat light helicopter with open-frame tail boom
• Military designation H-23 Raven
• Rotor paddles (servo tabs) on control rotor above main blades

Recognisable by its teardrop three-seat cabin on a slender open-framework tail boom, single main rotor with the characteristic Rotormatic servo paddles, and conventional tail rotor.

Specifications

• The Hiller UH-12 has a length of 8.45 m (28 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 10.8 m (35 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 154 km/h (96 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Stanley Hiller's Model 360 first flew in 1948, evolving into the production UH-12 series. The US Army adopted it as the H-23 Raven and used it extensively in Korea for casualty evacuation and artillery spotting; further variants served into the 1970s.

Variants

UH-12A through UH-12E span piston-engine variants with progressive power increases; the UH-12L was a turbine-powered variant. Military H-23A through H-23G paralleled civilian development.

Where you'll see it

Operated by the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, and exported to numerous countries; widely used in civil roles including crop-spraying, power-line patrol, and flight training.

Related aircraft

• Hiller HTE-2
• Hiller YH-32 Hornet
• Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee
• Hiller X-18
• Bell XH-15
• Mil Mi-1
• Piasecki HUP Retriever
• Piasecki XHJP-1 Retriever

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.