Recreational Hovercraft Training: Bob Vanderheiden

Determined to keep the seasons from limiting his recreational activities, Bob Vanderheiden, a retired health care equipment pro from Nebraska, decided a Neoteric hovercraft was a must-have: “I live on the Platte River, plus we have a lot of lakes and sand pits, so I figured it’s something I can use 12 months a year, since it will go just as well over ice and snow as rivers and lakes.”

Hovercraft Training Centers train exclusively on Neoteric Hovercraft, and when someone purchases a Neoteric craft, HTC conducts their training on the customer’s own hovercraft. Bob’s definitely stands out – it was custom manufactured to match all his other toys, including three Jeeps, which are painted the same 1973 Corvette burnt orange.

Bob threw himself wholeheartedly into his training, saying, “I don’t think I’d try getting in one without any training, but I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know if it’ll be easy, but the way I am, if somebody else can do it, I can do it!”

And Bob definitely did it! Check out a few photos and videos of his day at HTC:

At the Wabash River training site, instructor Chris Fitzgerald teaches Bob how to unload his craft from its custom trailer …

Before launching the craft on the river, Fitzgerald thoroughly briefs Bob on what he is about to learn …

And they’re off, with Fitzgerald at the controls …

Bob quickly takes the pilot’s seat while Fitzgerald guides him through every technique involved in piloting a hovercraft …

One of the first lessons in hovercraft pilot training is learning how to get over the hump, which Bob quickly masters … 

At the end of the day, Bob proudly accepts his HTC certification …

Why should Bob have all the fun? 

For only $250, you can take a hovercraft test flight ...

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Hovercraft featured on TrailblazerGirl.com

The Neoteric HoverTrek, official hovercraft of HTC, was recently featured on TrailblazerGirl.com, a site that culls the web for the coolest gear and getaways for adventurous women. And what cooler vehicle for the outdoorsy man, woman, or otherwise than the buzz-vehicle of the minute: hovercraft.

From TrailblazerGirl.com:

“Wouldn’t it be great to zoom over land and water without changing vehicles? Well, you can with a Novertrek by Neoteric Hovercraft. A hovercraft floats on a cushion of slightly pressurized air so that you can travel easily over a variety of surfaces – land, water, mud, sand or ice. Neoteric offers different sizes and styles of hovercraft, including side-by-side seating, reverse thrust systems for braking and maneuverability, even a four-person golf cart. As they say, it’s an ‘all-in-one, all-season recreational vehicle’.”

While hovercraft still tend to be associated with male-dominated professions and recreational activities thought of as "guy stuff", some women are getting in the pilot’s seat and giving the dudes a run for their money. Donna Jackson, a deputy with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, uses hovercraft to aid in search and rescue efforts over the highly variable terrain in and around Shreveport, Louisiana. As if often the case with our trainees, senior officers in the Parish were trained at HTC headquarters in Terre Haute, Ind. and graduated with not only the skills to fly, but the ability to pass along that knowledge and train their subordinates. After being trained by her lieutenant, Lt. Jackson has put her skills to use patrolling the Red River and rescuing citizens in distress.

Learn more about how this trailblazing woman uses hovercraft to work smarter and save lives at HovercraftTrainingCenters.com.  

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Windy Knoll Rolls Out the World's First Publicly Available Hovercraft Golf Cart

Swagger Alert!

You read about Windy Knoll Golf Club, the first in the world to make hovercraft golf carts available to its members and guests...

Photos courtesy New Era Sports Photography

Now check out the WK1 (modeled after the now world-famous BW1) in action as Hovercraft Training Centers trainer Steve Stafford chauffeurs World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez around the links. Starting this month, the WK1 will become the first hovercraft golf cart in public service, available for rent at $175 a pop.

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Hovercraft Golf Cart Featured in Yahoo! Finance Breakout Profile

In one of its "Breakout Profiles", which feature emerging American success stories and innovators, Yahoo! Finance gets to the real truth underneath all the madcap publicity over Bubba Watson's wacky hovercraft golf cart: all gimmicks and glamour aside, hovercraft save lives where no other vehicle can go. With proper training, hovercraft offer much more than a sweet ride that will make your fellow golfers green with envy. In fact, they can dramatically improve the efficacy of law enforcement, fire departments, and other search and rescue organizations.

From the article:                

"There’s no reason why the majority of fire departments and sheriff departments and emergency management people couldn’t have a hovercraft," (HTC founder and Neoteric President Chris) Fitzgerald argues. "It’s about the same price as a police motorcycle so we’re going to see these vehicles all over the world in these rescue situations."

Check it out here.

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