Hovercraft Pilot Training in Sweden

At the invitation of Neoteric’s dealer in Sweden, Ivanoff Hovercraft AB, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald is in Sweden this week to train a team of hovercraft pilot instructors from the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, Svenska Sjöräddnings Sällskapet. The organization utilizes two Neoteric HoverTrek™ Rescue hovercraft …

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society already operates a fleet of rescue hovercraft from Ivanoff Hovercraft. To enable the expansion of their rescue operations into inland lakes and rivers, smaller craft such as the HoverTrek™ provide more versatility.

The rescue hovercraft pilot training will consist primarily of open water training, with additional ice rescue and swift water rescue training depending upon the existing level of trainee experience.

Neoteric Hovercraft has trained and certified rescue, recreational, commercial and military hovercraft pilots for more than 30 years. Neoteric’s Hovercraft Pilot Training program is the most comprehensive light hovercraft pilot training course available.

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society plays a crucial role in sea rescue around the Swedish coast and is responsible for 70% of all sea rescues in Sweden. The Society has 160 vessels ready for use at all times by 1,700 volunteer crew members. The Society celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2007.

From Indiana to India

Neoteric is pleased to have been chosen to provide 8 hovercraft and pilots to perform the closing ceremony in the Indian Premier League (IPL3) 2010 Cricket Championship in Mumbai, India. Neoteric was selected because of the HoverTrek's stylish design and versatility - it's the only craft on the market able to pirouette, go sideways, travel in reverse and hover in place to perform a complicated, choreographed routine. Hovercraft are the only vehicle that will not damage a fragile cricket field.

Here, 6 of the 8 hovercraft await loading into a 40-foot shipping container on March 1 to begin their 6 to 8-week journey to India by train, rail and ship ...

The hovercraft pilots will be Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald and Neoteric customers Magnus Ivanoff, owner of Ivanoff Hovercraft AB, Sweden; Steve Stafford, a police officer from Bedford, Indiana; Phil Whitney, a Midas Muffler franchisee from Bowling Green, Kentucky; Dave Reyburn, a MasterCAM computer programmer from Goshen, Indiana; and Tom Dienhart, a pet store owner from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Additional pilots and craft are expected to be provided by Neoteric’s Indian dealer in Jammu, Kashmir.

Here, the first of the six 600-pound hovercraft is loaded into the shipping container by Chris Fitzgerald (rear left) and Neoteric employees ...

The IPL Final will take place on April 25 at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Stadium, a state-of-the-art cricket facility in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, India. Considered an engineering marvel, the stadium is four times the area of an American football field and seats 55,000 spectators. The IPL is fourth on the Forbes list of the world’s hottest sporting properties, and the televised Final will be viewed by more than a billion people worldwide.

This could be the first time in history that hovercraft have been involved in a cricket match - stay tuned for updates!

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