Is a hovercraft right for you? Here’s how the world decides!

You may not think of Terre Haute, Indiana as a global destination. But, thanks to Hovercraft Training Centers and Neoteric Hovercraft, that’s what this city has become. As far back as 1976, Indiana Business Magazine labeled Terre Haute the “Small Hovercraft Capital of the World” - just a year after Neoteric moved from Australia to the USA and made Terre Haute its headquarters. Today, it might be appropriate to update the name to the “Hovercraft Training...

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HTC trainee takes advantage of “Fly before you buy”

Allen Hoopes of Freedom, Wyoming has been interested in hovercraft since he was a kid. “I’d read about them over the years when I was younger. Then I starting seeing articles on the Internet -  one that really piqued my interest was the Neoteric hovercraft deer rescue.” His interest was piqued even further by the Neoteric craft’s reverse thrust system. “It has the ability to reverse, whereas most of what’s out there is forward only,” he...

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Hovercraft Training: An educational experience for all ages

Hovercraft are not only all-weather, all-terrain vehicles – they’re all-ages vehicles, too! Hovercraft Training Centers’ graduates range from pre-teens to octogenarians. And when it comes to youth, HTC is actively involved in using hovercraft to enrich the educational experiences of students across the world. As an example, HTC founder and Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald recently spent a Saturday at Sarah Scott Middle School in Terre Haute,...

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HTC Trains Rescue Hovercraft Pilots in Viet Nam

Hovercraft Training Centers’ Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald recently travelled to Hanoi to conduct hovercraft flight and maintenance training for first responders from Viet Nam’s National Department of Rescue and Relief, as well as personnel from Tuyet NGA Co. Ltd., a security and rescue equipment supplier. Tuyet NGA purchased two Neoteric rescue hovercraft, which will be used by the National Emergency Response Team of the Department...

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HTC grads rescue Texas hitchhiker tossed from bridge

Seeing Hovercraft Training Centers’ graduates in the news for their mud rescue operations is becoming a commonplace occurrence. First, the headlines abounded with the vital role they played in the Washington mudslide rescue and recovery efforts – and this week in Texas, Wylie Fire-Rescue hit the news for an out-of-the-ordinary mud rescue operation. Wednesday night, 23-year-old Mario Otteson hitched a ride with a van full of teenage guys at a...

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Weather is No Obstacle for a Hovercraft – or for Flight Training

Larry Borland may not be a postman, but the postal creed, “Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hail shall keep the couriers from their appointed rounds” certainly applied to his training day at HTC! Just like a hovercraft can handle any sort of weather, so can Larry, a 71-year-old retired farmer from North Dakota. Braving a gray, rainy day and a fast-flowing, flooded Wabash River, Larry enthusiastically completed thorough – if soggy – pilot...

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The HTC HoverPup – A paparazzi magnet!

Joey Meyers, the Official Hovercraft Training Centers HoverPup, is moving right up there with Bubba’s Hover when it comes to attracting publicity. Joey and his dad, HTC grad Gary Meyers, just finished a photo shoot for their upcoming feature in Arizona’s Coastal Life Magazine, “Fun Stuff People Do in Lake Havasu City.” From the left: Coastal Life photographer Eddo Early, reporter Kevin Baird, Gary Meyers, and HoverPup Joey are all set to hover...

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