Hovercraft Rescues Stranded Pontoon Boat

Sometimes boats are used as rescue vehicles. But, but far too often, boats are the vehicles being rescued - by hovercraft. 

Just ask Indiana's White River Hazleton Fire Department. Their Neoteric rescue hovercraft, and their flight training at Hovercraft Training Centers, enables them to save lives - and stranded boats - in areas no other vehicle can reach, such as shallow or fast-flowing water. As firefighter Mark Ellis says, "We're able to provide a service with the hovercraft that no one else can provide."

The Department services a flood-prone area on the banks of three rivers including the White River, which drains 70% of the state.

Shown here during their 2011 HTC flight training on their Neoteric rescue hovercraft are, clockwise from left:
White River Hazleton firefighter Mark Ellis; Fire Chief Mike Ellis;
Capt. Stan Capobianco, Indiana Dept. of Homeland Security; and
Chris Fitzerald, Hovercraft Training Centers' Senior Flight Instructor.

Their superior hovercraft and professional training has let White River Hazleton successfully perform many difficult rescues during the last five years. Enjoy the following article about their most recent success - rescuing a pontoon boat ...

Mt. Carmel Register

Oct. 7, 2015

by Marcus Smith

Hovercraft called in to rescue stranded boat

MOUNT CARMEL- Wabash Emergency Management Agency (WEMA) had to call in Hazleton’s White River Water Rescue and its hovercraft to rescue a stuck pontoon boat on the Wabash River Monday morning.

Shawn Lane, of Fairfield, and Bill Woodall, of Albion, went out to do some fishing before having engine troubles and becoming stuck south of the boat ramp by Twin Rivers Restaurant.

Woodall said the motor stopped running and the pair drifted down river until they became stuck. Gerald Brooks, WEMA coordinator, said the depth of the river was so shallow that they couldn’t get a rescue boat close enough to the stranded craft to help.

“Not the best thing to do, going out on the river when it’s this shallow,” he said.

Initially, Brooks thought the people might have to be pulled from the craft, and a plan would have to be devised further down the road to tow the boat in.

“The boat might have to sit there for a while,” Brooks said.

White River Water Rescue from Hazleton, Indiana was called in to assist with its hovercraft.

Mike Ellis, White River Township Fire Chief, said the plan was to raise the motor on the pontoon boat out of the water, get the boat floating downstream and tow it to a downstream boat ramp.

After raising the motor out of the water the boat began to drift down river before hanging up on another set of rocks.

The passengers of the boat could be seen rocking the boat back and forth trying to break free. When that didn’t work, a tow rope was thrown from the pontoon boat to the hovercraft.

With one of the passengers of each craft holding on to the rope, the hovercraft was used to break the pontoon boat free, and then tow it to a private boat ramp downstream.

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Think you can’t afford a hovercraft? Think again!

What a deal! Here’s a top-of-the-line hovercraft – at a rock bottom price ...

The Neoteric Hovercraft Trade-In Showroom has just posted a Neoteric HoverTrek™ on sale at an incredible price. This training hovercraft, used only by us at Hovercraft Training Centers, is the perfect starter craft. It’s equipped with Neoteric’s patented reverse thrust system, comfortable side-by-side seating and a 65 horsepower, 2-cycle Hirth engine. Regularly serviced by Neoteric, we can guarantee it’s in perfect shape.

You can own it for the bargain price of only $15,000 – and that includes a trailer!

You don’t need jet skis, boats, canoes, kayaks, ATVs and snowmobiles in order to enjoy the outdoors year-round – a hovercraft replaces them all. Whether you spend your leisure time on land, water, ice, snow, sand – or even mud – a hovercraft is the only vehicle that will fly you across any terrain, any time of the year. And hovercraft are not only safer and more fuel-efficient than boats, they’ll take you places that no other recreational vehicle can go.

So, if you want to save a bundle of money and have fun year-round, contact Neoteric today because this craft is going to sell quickly!

Read what others say about their Neoteric recreational hovercraft …

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Marc Sidell: “Training is the key to success.”

Marc Sidell of Seattle, Washington is a boater and a pilot, and he even considered flying professionally at one point. Since he lives near the Boeing factory, and because several of his friends are pilots, flying came naturally to him. Also, he lives near the San Juan Islands and “It takes awhile to get to them by boat, but with an airplane it’s much faster. And with an airplane you can fly all over the place,” he says.

 But Marc wants to stop flying. He explains, “I want to transition out of that because it’s gotten quite expensive - and also you have the possibility of dying!”

So he turned to hovercraft as a way to fly safely 9 inches above the ground, with less expense. And as an experienced pilot, he knew the place to start was to take a training course at HTC. “It’s like a plane; you need to train and put time in on it,” he says, “Otherwise, it could be dangerous.”

After a full day of training, Marc Sidell (left) accepts his Hovercraft Pilot Certification from Chris Fitzgerald (right).

Marc thoroughly enjoyed his training course. “It was the best day, and very eye opening,” he says, “And I loved the safety of being trained by someone so experienced and qualified. Even though it felt a little humbling at first to perform around Chris, who is so skilled, it was very comfortable to have him around.”

His training left Marc even more interested in the possibility of owning a hovercraft: “It’s versatile and you can go just about anyplace – like you can fly up a steep boat ramp. I think a hovercraft gives you a lot of independence and freedom to do things you wouldn’t dare do otherwise.”

And his day at HTC fully convinced him that training is the place to start. “Training is the key to success,” Marc says, “Anyone who attempts to fly a hovercraft without training is an idiot, point blank!”

Enjoy a few photos of Marc’s flight training session at HTC …

Wearing wireless headsets for constant communication with HTC Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald during his training session, Marc is ready for his first flight in a hovercraft at the Wabash River training site.

Chris Fitzgerald fully reviews the operation of all the hovercraft’s controls with Marc before launching the craft onto the river.

And they’re off, with Fitzgerald in the pilot’s seat to explain maneuvers before Marc takes over the controls.

After a morning classroom session where he learned everything about hovercraft and their operation, then a flight demonstration with Chris Fitzgerald, Marc easily flies the craft down the Wabash River to practice what he’s learned.

Would a hovercraft work for you?

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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 explains, “That’s a unique characteristic.”

So Allen contacted Neoteric to explore buying a hovercraft – and he was encouraged to first take a training course at HTC to learn about hovercraft in depth and learn to fly one before he buys one.

At the HTC training site on the Wabash River, Allen checks out the Neoteric hovercraft’s reverse thrust buckets
– which were a main factor in bringing him to Hovercraft Training Centers.

Allen is no stranger to flying – or to boating. “I enjoy water sports and I have a boat,” he says, “And I’ve flown in the past – I got up to a solo point, but didn’t finish. To stay safe in an aircraft you need to have at least one takeoff and one landing per month. There was just too much time involved, so I traded in my plane for a boat. And my wife was always concerned about my flying.”

He was quick to recognize that a hovercraft is a flying machine. “It’s definitely a form of aircraft because it’s airborne and has similar principles to an airplane,” he observes, “But a hovercraft is the best of both worlds because I can fly yet stay close to the ground.”

After full morning of classroom training, then learning how to conduct a preflight inspection,
Allen is ready to take off on his first flight training session.

And they’re off!

Allen enjoyed his day of learning to fly safely at HTC. “It was a great day, very interesting. The classroom session was a good review of the craft and its systems. It linked well with the afternoon flight training and helped me understand the principles that were going on, particularly the physics behind it. Really helpful.”

He added, “It would be hard to control without the reverse thrust buckets, especially in small spaces where you’d need to stop or back out or spin around.”

Both Allen’s sense of humor and Chris Fitzgerald’s were flying as well. “I think I might have made Chris nervous, flying around some trees and some carp! He said I was trying too hard, overcompensating, and kept telling me to loosen up,” Allen laughs, “He said maybe we should have brought a bottle of whiskey along!”

Smiling at the end of his training day, Allen Hoopes (right) receives his Hovercraft Pilot Certification
from HTC Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald.

After becoming a certified hovercraft pilot, Allen was asked what he thought would happen to someone venturing out in a hovercraft with no training. His response? “I don’t think I’d want to ride with them!”

Now that he knows what hovercraft are all about, Allen says, “I’m sure there’ll be a learning curve, but I’m still intrigued and still very interested in owning one. We have five children and the primary use will be family time on the lakes and rivers in our area, which we have a lot of. It will give us better access to some of those areas.”

See a photo album of Allen's hovercraft flight training ...

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James Walker: HTC-trained Commercial Hovercraft Pilot

Hovercraft are not just for recreation – hovercraft also mean business. Just ask James Walker, an amphibious vehicles operator for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., of Oak Brook, Illinois. GLDD is the largest provider of dredging services in the U.S. and one of the growing number of companies in the world who provide critical services with commercial hovercraft.

After James (center) and his crew learned to fly and maintain the GLDD hovercraft at HTC, he said, “It’s flying; it’s not a boat, it’s not a jet ski. Hovercraft are unique and you get a much better perspective in knowing what you’re dealing with when you know it from the ground up.”

James’ training quickly proved its worth in a major environmental restoration project on Pelican Island, a key barrier island off the coast of Louisiana. Pelican Island is crucial for protecting Louisiana people and property against storm surges and is one of America’s richest fisheries – but it has one of the highest rates of wetlands loss in the world.

As Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond explains, “If one block of New York City disappeared every hour, the nation would be outraged. Well, Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands every hour, which is crippling to the state and the nation. It affects our seafood supply, gas and oil reserves, and storm protection. Reversing this trend is a critical national priority.”

Read more about James and other HTC-trained commercial hovercraftpilots

… and you’ll never again think of hovercraft as just toys.

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Pete Garland: "It's all about excitement, adventure!"

Pete Garland of Coldspring, Texas, is a retired oil company engineer who enrolled in a Hovercraft Training Centers course for the same reason he went into the oil business: “It’s interesting – and I look for excitement, adventure.”

Pete Garland (left) receives his hovercraft pilot certification from HTC President Chris Fitzgerald.

But to Pete, retirement is definitely not the world’s longest coffee break. He has jet skis, four wheelers, a couple of boats and four ATVs – and grandchildren to enjoy his vehicles with him. He explains why he signed up for training before buying a hovercraft: “The reason I thought about a hovercraft is it looks like it could be a new adventure, a lot of fun. But I don’t think you can just toss your keys to the grandkids and say, ‘Here, give it a go’ like you can with jet skis. You’ve got to know what you’re doing. And I’m not sure how you repair these things, so today I’ll learn.”

And he did. After a morning of classroom and maintenance training, Pete learned how to conduct a preflight inspection before his first flight training session …

Pete first learned about hovercraft from his son-in-law, an avid golfer who got really excited when he saw the Bubba’s Hover viral video of the hovercraft golf cart Neoteric created for Bubba Watson. “He’s just as excited about me coming here for training,” Pete says. “He wants me to buy him a hovercraft, too!”

Before his flight session began, Pete anticipated that flying a hovercraft would be different than operating other watercraft: “Directly on the water you have a lot of control, but from reading the manual, when you’re floating on air there’s a little more of a control issue.”

But control wasn’t an issue once he learned to fly. In the pilot seat, Pete takes over the hovercraft controls while HTC instructor Chris Fitzgerald provides constant guidance …

At the end of his training day, when asked what three words would best describe him, Pete said, “Adventurous, outgoing and in good health.” Then he added, “I’m not too old for this!”

You bet he isn’t! As Henry Ford - a man who knew a thing or two about vehicles - said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

Hold back time - learn to fly a hovercraft!

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Walt Sitz, Eagle Wings, Inc. – A Man on a Mission

Walt Sitz is a man on a mission – and he’s making a hovercraft part of that mission.  He signed up for training at HTC before his hovercraft purchase. “Training should be the first step in any vehicle. You don’t just jump in a plane and say ‘I think I can figure it out.’ If you can’t, the alternatives are not good!”

His wife Pat, who listened to Walt's entire flight training via wireless headsets, adds, “It’s like flying an airplane; you have to fly so many hours before you can solo, and can’t get a license until you’ve done 40 hours.”

They should know: Walt has been in the aviation business for 25 years – from piloting planes to aircraft maintenance and repair to marketing powered parachutes and more. “I was raised on a ranch, and when a plane would fly over, I always said ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he explains. “It’s in my blood.”

Even though he’s one of those lucky people who’ve turned their hobbies into their life’s work, Walt doesn’t see recreational vehicles as just for pleasure. He says, “From way back I’ve always first thought, ‘How can it be used to help people.’ Boats, parachutes, snowmobiles, motorcycles, four wheelers – they can all be used to help people.”

His company, Eagle Wings, Inc. in Burns, Oregon, is affiliated with Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that provides rescue and relief support to humanitarian missions worldwide. Walt explains what sparked his interest in hovercraft: “I deployed to New York for Hurricane Sandy – loaded our Forest Ranger with all my tools and equipment and used it to set up a base camp. You can try to row a boat through the flood debris, but if I could deploy with a hovercraft, that’s what would be used. It’s a natural addition.”

After thorough classroom training, Walt began his flight training with a complete preflight inspection, guided by HTC chief instructor Chris Fitzgerald ...

With  a thumbs-up, the training craft is launched onto the Wabash River, where Walt will soon take over the controls. His positive attitude serves him well - as his wife Pat describes him, "Don't tell him he can't, because he can!" ...

And he did! His day at HTC boosted Walt's "can-do" confidence: "We got into one spot that you could never get into with a boat or anything else, and we turned around right in this tree with barely enough room for the craft and the current running fast through the tree. You could have rescued someone off that tree. That showed me right there what a hovercraft can do. It was pretty unbelievable!"

After a productive training day, Walt receives his pilot certification from Chris Fitzgerald ...

Now on to his next mission: with his natural mechanical bent, Walt has chosen to build his own hovercraft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Hovercraft Kit.

Meet more HTC rescue hovercraft graduates ...

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