Sikorsky S - 300 The Sikorsky S - 300 ( formerly Hughes 300 and Schweizer 300 ) family of light utility helicopter s was originally produced by Hughes Helicopters , as a development of the Hughes 269 . Later manufactured by Schweizer Aircraft , the basic design has been in production for almost 50 years . The single , three - bladed main rotor and piston - powered S - 300 is mostly used as a cost - effective platform for training and agriculture . Development . Background . In 1955 , Hughes Tool Company ' s Aircraft Division ( later Hughes Helicopters ) carried out a market survey which showed that there was a demand for a low - cost , lightweight two - seat helicopter . The division began building the Model 269 in September 1955 . The prototype flew on 2 October 1956 , but it wasn ' t until 1960 that the decision was made to develop the helicopter for production . On 9 April 1959 , the 269 received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) and Hughes continued to concentrate on civil production . With some design changes , deliveries of the Model 269A version began in 1961 . By mid - 1963 about 20 aircraft were being produced a month and by the spring of 1964 , 314 had been built . Hughes had successfully captured a large portion of the civilian helicopter market with an aircraft that would prove itself popular in agriculture , police work and other duties . Model 300 . In 1964 , Hughes introduced the slightly - larger three - seat Model 269B which it marketed as the Hughes 300 . That same year , the Hughes 269 set an endurance record of 101 hours . To set the record , two pilots took turns piloting the aircraft and hovered in ground - effect for fueling . To ensure no cheating , eggs were affixed to the bottom of the skid gear to register any record - ending landing . The Hughes 300 was followed in 1969 by the improved Hughes 300C ( sometimes 269C ) , which first flew on 6 March 1969 and received FAA certification in May 1970 . This new model introduced a more powerful 190 hp ( 140 kW ) Lycoming HIO - 360 - D1A engine and increased diameter rotor , giving a payload increase of 45 % , plus overall performance improvements . It was this model that Schweizer began building under license from Hughes in 1983 . In 1986 , Schweizer acquired all rights to the helicopter from McDonnell Douglas , which had purchased Hughes Helicopters in 1984 . After Schweizer acquired the FAA Type Certificate , the helicopter was known for a short time as the Schweizer - Hughes 300C and then simply , the Schweizer 300C . The basic design remained unchanged over the years , despite Schweizer making over 250 minor improvements . Schweizer was purchased on August 26 , 2004 by Sikorsky Aircraft . The Schweizer 300 models fill a gap in the Sikorsky helicopter line , which is known for its medium and heavy utility and cargo helicopters . In February 2009 , the 300C was rebranded as the Sikorsky S - 300C . Derivatives . Between Hughes and Schweizer , and including foreign - licensed production civil and military training aircraft , nearly 3 , 000 units of the Model 269 / 300 have been built and flown over the last 50 years . Schweizer continued to develop the Model 300 by adding a turbine and redesigning the body to create the Schweizer 330 . Further developing the dynamic components to take greater advantage of the power of the turbine engine led to the development of the Schweizer S - 333 . Design . The Hughes 269 was created with a fully articulated , counter - clockwise rotating , three - bladed main rotor , and a two - bladed tail rotor that would remain as distinctive characteristics of all its variants . It also has shock absorber - dampened , skid - type landing gear . The flight controls are directly linked to the control surfaces of the helicopter so there are no hydraulics in the 269 . There are generally two sets of controls , although this was optional on the civil 269A . For three - seat aircraft , the middle collective control stick is removable and a seat cushion can be put in its place for the third passenger . In the 300CB and 300CB " i " , the collective control can be repositioned to left - handed configuration for the Pilot In Command position ( right seat ) .