Firefighters / First Responders: See Hovercraft Training Centers & Neoteric Hovercraft at FDIC 2017

Hovercraft Training Centers and Neoteric Hovercraft will be featured at this year’s FDIC (Fire Department Instructor Conference). The world’s largest firefighter conference and expo - attended by 35,000+ firefighters, chiefs and instructors from more than 53 nations - takes place April 24-29 in Indianapolis at the Lucas Oil Stadium and Indiana Convention Center.

If your department still relies on ropes, boats and other apparatus for water, ice and mud rescues, you’ll definitely want to visit us at Booth #2704 and …

1) Watch videos of hovercraft rescue operations by HTC-trained pilots

2) Fly a remote-controlled hovercraft.

3) Get answers to all your questions about rescue hovercraft and pilot training.

4) Register to win one of three FREE Hovercraft Flight Training Courses, valued at $1,575 each!    

The Hovercraft Training Centers / Neoteric Hovercraft booth at last year's FDIC.

Flat bottom Jon boats and other watercraft are of questionable use in shallow water, swiftwater, flood, ice and mud rescues, and they can be seriously dangerous to you and to the lives you’re tasked to save. Come see how a Neoteric rescue hovercraft can greatly improve the safety, ease, speed and success of your rescue operations … while keeping you above the danger – not in it. It quickly flies you into areas where no other vehicle can go, and it’s the only hovercraft with the ability to brake and back up. 

But don’t just take our word for it. See what HTC-trained first responders around the world say about their Neoteric Hovercraft in comparison to other rescue vehicles …

Council Bluffs Fire Department, Iowa:

Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue Society, Canada:

"The hovercraft gets us into areas that, before, we weren't able to reach, areas that our jet boat can't get into because we ingest debris into the impeller. And the hovercraft saves us a lot of time."

North Muskegon Fire Department, Michigan:

"Our hovercraft have saved more lives that all our fire engines combined. Since 1985, more than 255 people have been rescued from Muskegon area lakes using the hovercraft. More than half of them would have drowned not having the hovercraft as a safe rescue tool."

Mansfield Fire Department, Texas:

"The benefit of having the hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. It can also hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats, that could be a hazard in the water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue - a safer rescue."

Davis County Sheriff's Office, Utah:

"Our hovercraft, without question, has saved lives. Much of our county is covered by the Great Salt Lake, and when the water is low it leaves miles of mudflats boats can't reach. We can't get airboats out there. When it's extremely windy it's hard to get an aircraft or helicopter out there, and even walking out is impossible. We were putting rescuers in harm's way, but the hovercraft allows us to hover over mud, ice or water and get right to the patient - to literally reach out our hand and pull them out."

Read more about Hovercraft Pilot Training ...

and

Learn more about Neoteric Hovercraft ...

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Neoteric Hovercraft: A popular tourist attraction in China

At Hovercraft Training Centers, we provide far more than standard hovercraft flight training. For instance, our Master Hovercraft Pilot & Maintenance Training course teaches those who use hovercraft professionally to train others and to independently maintain and repair their hovercraft. This minimizes travel expenses for our customers and for our personnel, as well.

A good example is the recent hovercraft flight training that took place in China. Yellow River Tourist Attractions in LuLiang City, Shanxi Province, already owns one 4-passenger Model 3877 Neoteric hovercraft and, due to its popularity, the company has increased their fleet with two additional 6-passenger Model 5854 Neoteric craft.

Neoteric’s agent, Mr. Huang Xiaogang, President of China Hai Pai Hovercraft, Ltd. – the leading hovercraft company in China – sent two of his engineers to conduct the training.

First, the Hai Pai engineers (in red) conduct ground instruction for Yellow River Tourist Attractions’ additional pilots, which includes the basics of hovercraft function, operation and maintenance …

Next, flight training begins. Hai Pai Engineer Mr. Lu Chun Zhong (in red) familiarizes the pilot trainees with the operational features of the Neoteric hovercraft. Here, he explains that its patented reverse thrust buckets make the Neoteric Hovertrek™ the only hovercraft on the market than can brake, fly backward and hover in place …

The Yellow River, where training took place and where all three hovercraft will be operated for tourism, is the second-longest river in China and the fifth-longest in the world. It’s famous for being the “mother river” of China and the cradle of Chinese civilization (2100-1046 BC).

It takes its name from its muddy yellow water coming from the sediments it carries. Because of its heavy silting, ordinary boats can’t be used on the Yellow River. And in the last five years, it has flooded more than 1,600 times. Since Neoteric hovercraft are used globally as flood rescue vehicles, these three tourism hovercraft could serve a double purpose!

Unlike other vehicles, the Neoteric hovercraft flies easily across water and mud during flight training …

At the end of the day, Yellow River Tourist Attractions’ newly-trained additional hovercraft pilots proudly display their flight training certifications …

LuLiang City, with a population of more than 3.7 million, is located in the LuLiang Mountains. It has four distinct seasons, but is a tourist destination all year. Now its visitors, from China and from elsewhere in the world, will have an increased opportunity to see the many attractions along the Yellow River in areas that no vehicle other than a hovercraft can reach.

But the Neoteric hovercraft as a Chinese tourist attraction doesn’t stop there …

Recently, Neoteric’s China Hai Pai Hovercraft arranged a HoverTrek™presentation in YiWu, China for Mr. Gu ChaoXi, Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs, and Major General WenPing Feng, a Commander in the Chinese People's Liberation Army.  

The presentation took place while the YiWu Emergency Rescue Team used their Neoteric Model 3626 65hp 4-passenger hovercraft to conduct flight training for additional pilots.

After the flight training, the Team’s Neoteric craft appeared at the famous annual Jujube (Red Date) Festival in Qikou Ancient City, near LuLiang. The festival celebrates the jujube fruit, also known as red dates or Chinese dates – which have been cultivated in China for more than 4,000 years - and includes a wide assortment of cultural entertainment such as folk operas and dance performances …

And this year, one of the festival's popular features was a Neoteric hovercraft ...

For more than two centuries, Qikou, a unique terraced city carved into a steep hillside on the banks of the Yellow River, served as a vital trade hub. Goods coming by river had to be off-loaded in Qikou because the water was too shallow for boats to pass, then everything was loaded onto camel trains. But following the introduction of rail transport in the 1930s, the town fell into economic decline.

On a positive note, the decline helped preserve Qikou’s ancient structures from being redeveloped into new buildings … and now new life has been injected into the city by the rapidly growing tourism industry.

It’s official: Hovercraft + Training + Tourism = success in China!

Learn more about our hovercraft training courses …

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Pakistan Air Force discovers importance of hovercraft pilot training

In 2013, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Sea Survival School (SSS) purchased two 4-passenger Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft for security patrol along the Korangi Creek Air Force Base shoreline in Karachi, Pakistan. The curved shoreline contains mudflats and mangroves that make it inaccessible to vehicles other than hovercraft. 

One of the two Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft purchased by the Pakistan Air Force

Sea Survival School is shown here during preliminary testing on the

Wabash River in Terre Haute, IN.

At the time of purchase, the PAF’s budget did not allow for their hovercraft to be equipped for saltwater operation, or for flight training and maintenance instruction. Due to this lack of training – which includes teaching the additional maintenance procedures required when a hovercraft is not equipped for saltwater operation – both of the PAF’s hovercraft suffered deterioration.

Fortunately, both Hovercraft Training Centers and Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. offer dedicated customer service. Chris Fitzgerald, HTC Senior Instructor and Neoteric President, traveled to Pakistan for a week to conduct maintenance instruction, to provide onsite flight training, and to assist in upgrading both Air Force hovercraft for saltwater operations.

The work was done at the PAF Sea Survival School, under the command of Squadron Leader Raza Khan, the Commanding Officer of the SSS. Wing Commander Mahmood traveled from Islamabad to review the training program. The following personnel were involved in the restoration of the two hovercraft: Squadron Leader Raza Khan; Senior Technician Mahid (electronics & weapons); Chief Technician Mairaj (ground transport engines); HS-1 Rashid (electrical); Skilled TM Wagar (student fitter); HS-2 Iqbal (painter); Skilled TM Najam (maintenance) and Chief Technician Farooq (road transportation driver).

The Pakistan Air Force hovercraft maintenance crew and pilots pose for a photo in their workshop/storage facility. Left to right: Chief Tech Mairij, HS-2 Iqbal, HS-1 Rashid (electrical), Skilled TM Wagar, instructor Chris Fitzgerald, a security guard,

Skilled TM Najam and Senior Technician Majid.

Senior Technician Majid (left) and Chief Technician Mairij undergo maintenance training

while assisting in upgrading the two rescue hovercraft for saltwater operation.

The Pakistan Air Force Sea Survival School hovercraft team, from the left: Skilled TM Wagar, HS-1 Rashid, Skilled TM Najam, Senior Technician Majid, HS-2 Iqbal, 
Security Guard, Chief Technician Mairij, and a visitor on the far right.

The PAF Sea Survival School:

The primary role of the Pakistan Air Force Sea Survival School is to train fighter pilots in “survival at sea.” In addition to their two hovercraft, the SSS also operates several fleets of sailboats, windsurfing boards, motor launches, jet skis and inflatable dinghies for rescue missions, training and for the PAF’s participation in national and international competitions. In addition, Pakistan and surrounding nations rely heavily on the PAF for tsunami, cyclone, earthquake and flood rescue operations.

The Pakistan Air Force Sea Survival School in Karachi, Pakistan.

Chris Fitzgerald reports that the SSS has an excellent, wide and gently sloping concrete hoverway reaching out to the sea. During his visit, the prevailing 15 mph winds continually generated 1- to 2-foot waves. He says, “This was an outstanding team of dedicated and cheerful people who worked relentlessly under harsh conditions to restore both hovercraft in a limited time frame.”

The importance of hovercraft training:

Due to the omission of flight and maintenance training when the Pakistan Air Force purchased their two hovercraft in 2013, the craft suffered enough damage that their refurbishment, and maintenance training to personnel, took longer than anticipated. This left insufficient time for flight training. Chris Fitzgerald was able to give preliminary pilot training only to Commander Raza and Chief Technician Mairij. But this can be rectified by additional flight training either onsite in Pakistan or at Hovercraft Training Centers in the U.S.

Make no mistake: a hovercraft is a flying machine. You don’t drive it - you fly it 9 inches above the surface. Just as you wouldn’t jump into a helicopter and take off without proper flight training, neither should you do so with a hovercraft.

Capt. Cory Lingelbach, a U.S. Air Force firefighter and hovercraft pilot at the Hill Air Force Base Utah Test & Training Range, explains the importance of training quite concisely: 

“Trying to fly a hovercraft without training would be nuts! We use our hovercraft on and off our base. Without the level of training sophistication that Hovercraft Training Centers provided, we would never be able to perform our missions the way we do.”

Capt. Cory Lingelbach (left) and his fellow U.S. Air Force personnel

went through flight training and maintenance instruction when they took

possession of their new rescue hovercraft at the Neoteric factory.

Capt. Lingelbach enrolled in Hovercraft Training Centers’ Advanced Training Course, which includes hard access, fast-flowing water rescue and nighttime operational training. For he and his team, learning how to operate a hovercraft properly has not only proven to boost the safety of their rescues, but it has also dramatically improved their response times. The UTTR Air Force rescue team has reduced its recovery time from an average of two hours with ATVs to just 20 minutes with hovercraft.

Military personnel and first responders: 

Learn how a Neoteric Hovercraft gives you faster, safer rescues ...

Then take a Test Flight to see for yourselves.

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Military Hovercraft Flight Training in Viet Nam

Last year, Hovercraft Training Centers conducted flight training in Hanoi for first responders from the Viet Nam military’s National Department of Rescue and Relief on their two new Neoteric military hovercraft. The Department, under the Ministry of National Defense, coordinates military and non-military forces in search and rescue operations and disaster relief.

The importance of hovercraft is widely recognized in Viet Nam, by the military and the civil sector as well. Defense Studies and PhunuToday published articles about their hovercraft, stating, “Viet Nam People’s Army is now equipped with modern air-cushion boats by an American producer that have many advantages in Viet Nam. The hovercraft, manufactured by Neoteric Hovercraft (American), can be applied to military and civil tasks.”

Their first two hovercraft have proven to be such a valuable asset to the Viet Nam People’s Army that this year it ordered two additional 6-passenger Neoteric hovercraft. HTC Flight Instructor Steve Stafford recently traveled to Vietnam to conduct flight training to additional Army personnel on their new craft on Suoi Hai Lake at the Emergency Response Training Facility near Hanoi …

During training, four first responders from a fire department near Ho Chi Minh City flew in to observe the hovercraft in operation, and Steve Stafford gave them a demonstration flight …

Since HTC conducts flight training throughout the world, interpreters serve a critical role. Here, Thuy Nguyen Thu translates Stafford’s instructions to the trainees …

With their four Neoteric hovercraft, and professionally trained military pilots, the People’s Army of Viet Nam is well-prepared to conduct operations that cannot be handled by any other vehicle. The craft are a great asset in a country often plagued by monsoons and floods.

Here, the newly-trained pilots receive their certifications …

From the left: Nguyen Van Nuoi, Bru Hoang Than, Instructor Steve Stafford,
Interpreter Thuy Nguyen Thu, Phan Nhat Anh, and Do Xuan Vu.

Meet more HTC-trained military hovercraft pilots …

and

Learn about military flight training …

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#Throwback Thursday Vintage Hovercraft Video

Long before the formal founding of Hovercraft Training Centers – and before the development of the ultra-modern HoverTrek™ we train with today – Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. was making history. That longevity as the world’s original light hovercraft manufacturer is one of the reasons we use Neoteric craft exclusively.

On this #TBT, let’s look back to a couple of Neoteric’s precursors to today’s HoverTrek™ - the Neova II and the LeMere. In the early 1980s, as their hovercraft were chosen to star in international television commercials, Neoteric was well on the way to the kind of fame they’ve earned today with Bubba’s Hover.

In this commercial for Brazil’s Hollywood Cigarettes, filmed on Lake Isabella in California, Neoteric provided four pilots, two LeMere and two Neova II hovercraft. When ordinary boats just aren’t glamorous enough, Neoteric hovercraft save the day! …

Also check out this video of vintage Neoteric hovercraft featured in a 1983 commercial for Canada’s Labatt’s Beer … and enjoy a Photographic Half-Century History of Hovercraft Training Centers and the Neoteric training hovercraft.

Essential even for a short commercial shoot, training has always been, and always will be, – the single most important factor for the successful operation of a hovercraft. And as the originator of the first successful light hovercraft, Neoteric and HTC founder Chris Fitzgerald has spent more than 50 years piloting, designing and developing hovercraft – and training those who fly them. Who better to be your instructor?

Time to step out of the past and into your future –

See how a hovercraft can make it brighter: Take a Test Flight or Training Course!

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VIDEO: Drone footage of HTC Hovercraft Ice Rescue Training

First responders, your Hovercraft Training Centers education doesn’t always end when you finish your training course: our instructors often conduct special practice sessions for our graduates.

Last weekend the Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Departments participated in an ice rescue practice with their Neoteric hovercraft on Calmuck Lake in Monroe City, Indiana, organized and conducted by HTC Flight Instructor, Steve Stafford. Steve is also Neoteric’s Law Enforcement Liaison and is the founder of Project H.E.R.O. (Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations).

Our appreciation goes to Rodney Helderman who captured the day’s activities on drone footage  – which illustrates how well the Neoteric rescue HoverTrek™, flown by professionally trained pilots, maneuvers on thin and broken ice.

And our sympathy goes to Neoteric’s VP of Marketing, Filip Przybysz, who spent a cold day playing the role of the victim who fell through the ice!

Check out the drone footage below, then watch the news coverage of the event …

First responders: Could a hovercraft help you save lives?

Learn more about rescue hovercraft ...

and try one out with a Test Flight or Training Course

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“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Bubba Claus!”

There’s a reason Hovercraft Training Centers trains exclusively on Neoteric hovercraft – the Neoteric HoverTrek™ is undisputedly the most innovative, effective and interesting hovercraft on the market. That’s why Bubba Watson chose Neoteric to manufacture his BW1 hovercraft golf cart – and chose HTC to teach him to fly it.

Following on the heels of Bubba’s Hover, his world-famous viral video, Bubba is now ‘rapping’ his Christmas gift. He just released a new rap video, “Bubba Claus – The Single” – and after just a couple of days, it already has more than half a million views on YouTube.

The media worldwide are all over it – but the reviews are a bit mixed. For instance, UK’s Daily Mail reported, “Every rapper should have a cool set of wheels – and Watson’s golf buggy certainly oozes class.” The Washington Post said, “Bubba Watson knows the best way to offer a Christmas gift – he breaks out his hovercraft, making sure to remind everyone that he owns the awesome vehicle.” But Golf Channel wrote, “Bubba Claus brings joy to your heart, pain to your ears.”

We’re not qualified to judge Bubba’s talent as a musician – we only taught him to fly his hovercraft golf cart. Take a look at his video and leave a comment to tell us what you think – about Bubba the rapper and Bubba’s hovercraft …

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Hovercraft Operation: A Three-Legged Stool

We at Hovercraft Training Centers use the analogy of hovercraft operation as a three-legged stool: If one leg is weak, it topples. The three legs are: 1) A properly engineered hovercraft; 2) Thorough pilot training; and 3) A comprehensive maintenance program.

When you simply buy a hovercraft and take off on your own without pilot or maintenance training, most likely it’s going to end up parked in your garage and, whether you planned to use it for business or pleasure, your dream is going to topple.

But when you make sure your intentions have a strong foundation, your future with your hovercraft will play out like Barry Eison’s – its novelty and usefulness will increase over time. Barry is a 58-year-old mechanical engineer from Tennessee, who bought a hovercraft a year ago, but first underwent training at HTC.

Barry Eison (right) receives his Hovercraft Pilot Certification from HTC Senior Instructor Chris Fizgerald.

Barry keeps a journal of his hovercrafting and often sends us excerpts, so we’ll let him tell his story in his own words …

January 2014:

“I bought a hovercraft because every time we go out hunting, fishing, exploring, we see places we can’t get to. So many areas are inaccessible. Duck hunting is big in my area and one of the biggest frustrations for duck hunters is you have to be able to go from water to land to water – a hovercraft makes that possible. I’ve been looking at hovercraft for five years. I’ve looked at every hovercraft company out there … Neoteric is the only one that doesn’t have a single negative review.”

February 2014: (after his HTC training course)

“My biggest concern was being able to safely operate the craft. Here’s what I learned:

1) Training is absolutely necessary. If you don’t know how to use it, stay off of it!”

2) A hovercraft is a flying machine. Its capabilities must be learned and it takes time to learn to operate it.

3) If one gets too “cocky” or arrogant in their familiarization with the craft, you can get hurt of damage the machine.

4) It’s important to learn to feel the response of the craft and recognize that it doesn’t take much to alter its flight.

5) Anticipate the path you will take when you’re executing turns or other maneuvers.

6) Think, think, think! Starting, stopping – every move requires thought until you know it by heart.

7) Don’t overreact when responding to changes.

8) Learn the machine – inside and out, front to back.”

August 27, 2014:

“I love this machine. The more I use it, the more I realize the engineering and research & development that went into its development. Well done, Neoteric, well done. I am becoming quite confident with it and absolutely cannot wait to get it out hunting this winter. It has already opened up areas that I have hunted my entire life but have never been able to access.”

November 12, 2014:

“The hovercraft has performed very well on the Mississippi River and in and around the barge traffic we encounter. I was able to harvest my first deer from an area that I was previously unable to access but can now using the hovercraft. The state game wardens think it is fascinating and have given me the green light to use it freely on land or water within their motorized vehicle guidelines.”

December 15, 2014:

“I took the hovercraft out on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon and deliberately targeted rough waters (barge wakes, small whirlpools, traversing small rapids over rock dikes, swift current) and the craft performed absolutely flawlessly. The more I use it the more impressed with it I am. You may want to pass this on to other clients: Do not take the training manual home and set it on a shelf. Print it, put it in a notebook and READ IT. Everything you need to know about the craft is enclosed! It has been a godsend for me.”

Thinking you might like to own a hovercraft?

The first step to building a strong foundation is to see if a hovercraft is right for you.

Take a Test Flight or Standard Training Course

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VIDEO: Hovercraft Pilot Training in Vietnam

Early this year, Hovercraft Training Centers' Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald traveled to Hanoi to train first responders from Vietnam's National Department of Rescue & Relief, as well as personnel from Tuyet Nga Co. Ltd., a security and rescue equipment supplier. Tuyet Nga purchased two Neoteric rescue hovercraft for use by the National Department of Rescue & Relief - a great asset in a nation so often plagued by monsoons and floods.

In this recent video, you can see the value of being trained by HTC to train other hovercraft pilots. Here, the HTC-trained pilots are conducting flight training in Vietnam for first responders from Brigade 249 of the Public Affairs Command, who will use the hovercraft for search & rescue and military operations ...

Join the global ranks of HTC-trained hovercraft pilots ...

Take a Test Flight or Training Course

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Hovercraft: A Profitable Dream Come True

Shaw Couevas, a 27-year old from New Orleans, Louisiana, has the sense of adventure and the entrepreneurial spirit to make his dream come true - and then to make it profitable. But he also has the wisdom to make sure he knows what he’s doing – by taking the proper training.

Shaw Couevas (left) receives his Hovercraft Pilot Certification from HTC Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald on the day he picked up his 6-passenger Neoteric HoverTrek™.

Shaw’s story began when he was just a child. “When I was a small kid, I had a remote control hovercraft, and I was always trying to build one. So I’ve always known about them, but I never thought I’d use one,” he said.

Then he had an idea. “I decided to open a tourism business in New Orleans. I think hovercraft are a new and exciting way to get customers down there and experience the wildlife.” The decision came somewhat naturally to Shaw: “I’m one of those American do-alls; I own a trucking company, I sell cars. And my dad has a business, my mother has three businesses, my grandparents have businesses, so I’m just following a family tradition. But this one, this is my monkey!”

His first step was to find the right hovercraft. “I really didn’t know where to go when I decided to do it, so I went on the Internet. I called Neoteric because it seems to be the best on the market and because the Hoverclub of America recommended Neoteric,” he explained.

His first business expense was a bargain – he bought a pre-owned 6-passenger Neoteric HoverTrek™. And when he came to pick it up in July, he arranged to take a training course on it at Hovercraft Training Centers. “I came up here because I really need the training. I wouldn’t want to take the craft out with a bunch of people on it and think I can handle it then have someone get hurt,” he explained. “It’s one thing to watch it in a video, but it’s another to actually see it in action. You can’t judge speed, you can’t judge maneuverability from a video – you have to see it first-hand. You know, I’m willing to invest probably half a million dollars in this project and I won’t do it unless I know for sure that I’m ready to go.”

Shaw is a “ready to go” kind of guy, who approached his training with enthusiasm. “I have a 700 hp 370Z, a 500 hp G37 Infiniti, a lifted F150 for mud, ATVs … give me an engine and a steering wheel and I’ll take it on!” he said. Better add rotors and rudders to that, because he's also a licensed helicopter pilot and boat captain!

Enjoy a few photos of Shaw making sure he’s ready to go as he takes on his training day in his new hovercraft …

After a morning of classroom instruction, Shaw learns to conduct a preflight inspection and fuels his hovercraft for his first training flight session on the Wabash River.

Wearing wireless headsets for continuous instruction, Shaw is all smiles as Instructor Chris Fitzgerald prepares to launch Shaw’s hovercraft.

Chris Fitzgerald demonstrates the floating stability of the Neoteric HoverTrek™.

Shaw gets a thumbs up from Chris Fitzgerald as he flies his hovercraft on his own.

So, after all his experience with other vehicles, how did Shaw feel about flying a hovercraft? “I’ve been smiles all the way back! This is a dream, you know? And to possibly make money with it is a whole new ballgame. It was really fun and educational and worth every penny to come up here and do it,” he said, “I think it’s going to be exactly what I’m looking for.”

He continued, “To be honest, I’m a big guy and not a lot of things get up and move with me in them, and I was expecting a little bit of a struggle, but I was surprised at how much power it had. But you need the training. Without it, you could hurt yourself or cause thousands of dollars of damage or hurt someone else. If you don’t train, you’ll be sorry later.”

Four months later, Shaw’s training has paid off and his dream has become a reality – with his new tourism business, Southern Hovercraft. Here he is, entertaining tourists in his newly vinyl-wrapped Neoteric hovercraft …

Follow Southern Hovercraft on Facebook …

and see if a hovercraft could make your dream a reality: 

Take a Training Course at HTC!

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Hovercraft: The right vehicle for the job – or not?

Hovercraft pilot training – that comes after you buy a hovercraft, right? Not always. In fact, particularly with commercial hovercraft, it’s often just the opposite. Businesses across the world come to Hovercraft Training Centers to determine if a hovercraft could expand their services and boost their bottom line … and also to protect their bottom line by letting them ‘fly before they buy.’

That’s what brought Ed Savage to HTC. Savage is a Manager at Pella, Iowa-based Vermeer Corporation – a manufacturer of construction, mining, utility, environmental and agricultural equipment.

Savage explained why he took an HTC training course: “I’m part of a research & development team at Vermeer and we’re working with a customer on a project where there needs to be as little surface damage as possible. So we’re trying to find the best vehicle for that, and I’m here to see if a hovercraft is the best way to go. None of us has any experience with hovercraft, so we thought it was best to do the training. Since it only takes a day, it’s worth the time and expense. My goal is to learn how to operate it without destroying something, and to make it successful on this project. It’s going to be a challenge.”

Vermeer’s engineers, along with HTC Senior Instructor/Neoteric Hovercraft President Chris Fitzgerald agreed that the customer’s project would be a challenge for any vehicle, including hovercraft. The project involves traveling over delicate peat bogs in Minnesota, and state and federal regulations mandate that these cannot be damaged or disturbed. Minnesota has more peatlands than any other state except Alaska, and its peat industry adds more than $10 million annually to its economy.

Since Savage said, “There’s a 99 percent we’ll never be on water with the hovercraft,” HTC customized the training to the potential use, as always, and Savage’s flight training was conducted entirely on land …

After a morning of classroom training to learn how hovercraft work,
Ed Savage prepares for hands-on pilot training outside HTC headquarters. 

Via wireless headsets, instructor Chris Fitzgerald provides guidance and feedback
as Ed Savage undergoes an afternoon of flight training.

Although the Indiana terrain at HTC in this next photo may look a bit like a peat bog, the final determination as to whether or not a hovercraft would work for Vermeer Corp. would later be made via flight over actual peatlands in Minnesota …

After his day of  training, Ed Savage (right) receives his Hovercraft Pilot Certification
from HTC Senior Instructor Chris Fitzgerald.

Savage described his training course: “It’s a neat feeling to just start floating up like that. It was a little more difficult to catch onto than I thought it would be. You watch videos of hovercraft and think, ‘Oh, that looks simple,’ but then you do it yourself and see that training is definitely a necessity.”

The final result of Vermeer Corporation’s feasibility study? When the hovercraft was tested on the peat bogs in Minnesota, it was decided that the engineers and Chris Fitzgerald were correct – this was a rare instance where the job was not one for a hovercraft.

The bottom line? A hovercraft can be a valuable business asset – or it could turn out to be an unnecessary expenditure. There’s only one sure way to find out …

Fly before you buy:

Take a Test Flight or Pilot Training Course at HTC

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