Hovercraft Mean Business

Say “hovercraft” and the first word that comes to most people’s minds is “fun.” But hovercraft are much more than that. Besides saving lives in rescue operations, Neoteric hovercraft are used throughout the world in a wide variety of critical commercial operations - including oil spill cleanup, environmental restoration, gold mining, mosquito control, wildlife conservation and commercial fishing.

All these uses have one common factor: these Neoteric commercial hovercraft are all expertly operated and maintained by pilots trained at Hovercraft Training Centers.

As one example, meet James Walker, an HTC-trained commercial hovercraft pilot for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., the largest provider of dredging services in the U.S. 

Here, James Walker and his team learn to conduct a preflight inspection during their HTC training,

adjusting rudders for maximum precision during flight.

James’ training and GLLD’s Neoteric hovercraft soon proved their value in an environmental restoration project on Pelican Island, a key barrier island off the coast of Louisiana. Pelican Island, one of American’s richest fisheries, is crucial for protecting Louisiana citizens and property against storm surges, but it has one of the highest rates of wetlands loss in the world.

“If one block of New York City disappeared every hour, the nation would be outraged,” states Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond. “Well, Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands every hour, which is crippling 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.”

With the help of James and GLDD’s Neoteric Hovercraft, the Pelican Island project is creating more than 580 acres and 3 miles of new dunes and marshland for the people of Louisiana.

Read more about James and other HTC-trained commercial hovercraft pilots

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

Russian hovercraft counterfeiters: Air Wing and MosHovercraft

It’s long been said that ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ If that old saying is true, then Neoteric should be flattered, since the Hovertrek™ is becoming one of the most copied hovercraft in the world.

The problem, however, is that knockoffs of Rolex watches are one thing; counterfeit products that threaten consumer safety are an entirely different matter. Particularly since hovercraft are increasingly used in rescue operations, counterfeit hovercraft pose a serious threat to the lives of first responders and to the lives of those they are tasked to save.

In the past we’ve reported the offenses of Hi Tech International S.r.l. of Gorgonzola, Italy. Now two Russian companies have joined HTI’s dubious rank: Air Wing (aka Production Company MSK and 000 Aeroslava) and MosHovercraft Group (aka Globatek Group JSC). Counterfeiting is becoming an increasing problem in Russia: a Russian Interior Ministry investigation estimates that up to a third of everything sold to consumers in Russia is counterfeit. 

The offenses committed by Air Wing and MosHovercraft include:

Industrial and economic espionage; theft of technology and trade secrets: Air Wing counterfeited the patented Neoteric Hovertrek™ and is using the model name “Niaterek” to market their pirated hovercraft. MosHovercraft is selling illegally “restyled” copies of the Hovertrek™.

Illegal copies of the Neoteric Hovertrek™ in production at Air Wing’s assembly facility in Russia.

Intellectual property infringement: The Air Wing and MosHovercraft websites and promotional efforts contain material plagiarized from the copyrighted Neoteric website.

Screenshot of a MosHovercraft website page, with numerous photos plagiarized from the Neoteric website.

Neoteric and our licensed agent in Russia, Christy Hovercraft, are diligently working with Russian governmental officials to curtail the illegal actions of these companies. In the meantime, we advise all potential hovercraft buyers to meticulously research companies to be certain you’re purchasing from the original, reputable, experienced manufacturer and not a counterfeiter. Your life could depend upon it.

For complete information, read the World Hovercraft Organization’s Ripoff Reports:

Air Wing Ripoff Report

MosHovercraft Ripoff Report

Hovercraft: Fly Before You Buy

How many people buy a car before they learn how to drive? Even as a licensed driver, would you buy a car without taking it out for a demo? Of course you wouldn’t. 

That’s why Neoteric has a “Fly Before You Buy” policy: We highly recommend that anyone considering purchasing a hovercraft first enroll in a flight training course on a Neoteric craft at Hovercraft Training Centers. Here’s an example of the benefits of this approach …

Rusty Roush, a CPA from Amarillo, Texas, was considering a career change. He was familiar with hovercraft, but the Bubba’s Hover video piqued his interest, so he contacted Neoteric, explaining, “I’m trying to see if it’s something that’s fun and easy to learn, and what business applications it might have.” Roush took advantage of Neoteric’s “Fly Before You Buy” policy and enrolled in Hovercraft Training Centers’ Standard Training Course: 

After a morning of classroom instruction, instructor Chris Fitzgerald trains Roush to conduct a thorough preflight inspection.

Fitzgerald, in the pilot seat, shows Roush how easily the Neoteric Hovertrek™ transitions from land to water.

Roush, now at the controls, learns how to operate the patented reverse thrust buckets that give the Hovertrek™ its incomparable maneuverability.

Back at headquarters, Roush (center), accompanied by his wife Debbie, accepts his hovercraft pilot certification.

Even though Roush was impressed by the Neoteric hovercraft and by his training course, he and his wife were uncertain that a hovercraft was right for them. For one reason, “We don’t have a lot of water in Amarillo,” he said. “It’s not like here, where you can just bop over to the river. I guess I’m just exploring …”

And that’s exactly the right reason to enroll in hovercraft training: to explore – and to save money, as well. If you decide a hovercraft is right for you, Neoteric will deduct the cost of your HTC training course from the purchase price. If not, you’ve invested very little for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that enables you to make an informed decision!

Learn more at Hovercraft Training Centers

HudsonMOD features Neoteric HoverGolf™ Cart

The tsunami of publicity about Bubba’s Hover rushes on. The Neoteric HoverGolf™ Cart is featured this month in HudsonMOD, a luxury lifestyle magazine that prides itself on treating its New York City readers to “the best the world has to offer” …

HudsonMOD

September 2013

THE WOW – You know you want it

Neoteric HoverGolf™ Cart

A video that could have been taken on any golf course shows your run-of-the-mill golf cart winding down a paved pathway. But suddenly, a larger cart flashes across the screen. Never mind that the driver of this floating golf cart is none other than 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who deadpans with a nonchalant stare back at a gawking golfer. The golfer looks like he’s seen something he can’t very well explain. Yes, that’s a hovercraft on the links. Welcome to the future.

What started as a clever marketing stunt earlier this year by Thinkmodo to drive interest to Bubba Watson’s promotional deal with Oakley has had another, truly astonishing, effect. Since being uploaded to YouTube, the video “Bubba’s Hover” has gone viral, receiving more than eight million views thus far and garnering worldwide media attention for Neoteric, the manufacturers of rescue, military and commercial hovercrafts - and now the first hovercraft golf cart on the planet, the BW1. 

“Since the viral video hit YouTube, we’ve been deluged with inquiries from all over the world,” says Filip Przybysz, an executive at Neoteric. The prototype bearing Watson’s initials has given rise to 100 limited-edition HoverGolf carts that are custom manufactured at the close of each sale. “At this point, we have shipped the first order and are in the process of shipping the second to customers in the US,” he says.

One of the recipients of the accommodating four-passenger, two-golf-bag, 65-horsepower vehicle is the Windy Knoll Golf Club, in Springfield, OH, which recently became the first golf course in the US to purchase two $58,000 hovercrafts with lift-up roofs and the latest noise-reducing fan technology. But why wait for your local golf course to follow suit with futuristic rides? You could be piloting a cushion of air across water hazards in no time with your very own personal hovercraft.

Finally, a reason to smile about spraying a shot: You get to drive in a BW1 to find the ball. The future has arrived. Score!

Learn more at hovercrafttraining.com and facebook.com/HovercraftTraining

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As the article says, “Why wait for your local golf course to offer futuristic rides?”  Sign up right now for a Hovercraft Test Flight or Training Course in a Neoteric Hovercraft at Hovercraft Training Centers!

Enjoy a few photos of the Neoteric HoverGolf™ Cart in action ... 

Bubba Watson flies the BW1 during the filming of Bubba's Hover at the Raven Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona.

The BW1 flies over sandtraps at an Oakley charity event held at the Heritage Club in Mason, Ohio.

At another Oakley charity event, the BW1 captures attention at the Four Bridges Country Club in Liberty Township, Ohio.

At the Four Bridges Country Club - or at any golf course - water hazards are no obstacle for the Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Cart.

The BW1 was filmed at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, with NBC's Matt Lauer and Al Roker at the controls.

Rescue Hovercraft for Sale

First responders worldwide recognize that the hovercraft is the only rescue vehicle able to perform fast, safe rescue operations on swift water, thin or broken ice, flood waters, mud and snow. Because it safely hovers 9 inches above the terrain, a hovercraft keeps the rescue team above the danger – not in it – and gives rescuers access to areas boats and helicopters can't reach.

This is an opportunity for your team to boost its rescue capabilities: the first of two new Model 5852 red stock hovercraft from the Neoteric factory:

The craft features a 100 HP Hirth engine, reverse thrust buckets for braking and backing up, and inline seating for four. This deluxe rescue model is also equipped with a radio, PA system, siren, 400,000 cp searchlight, salt water marinization package and a stretcher mount. This new hovercraft is offered for $65,860.13. A custom hovercraft trailer is also available for $2,230. 

Contact Neoteric for more information

Government assistance is often available for the purchase of rescue equipment. You can research your options at the links below:

Government Grants:

FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

Economic Development Administration 

Implementing Guidance for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Government Financing:

Government Capital Corporation

See more new and used rescue, recreational and commercial hovercraft

for sale in the Neoteric Showroom 

Pete Garland: Retirement is just the beginning

When some people retire, they pick up the remote control and that’s it – but not Pete Garland. This retired oil company engineer from Coldspring, Texas was attracted to hovercraft for the same reason he was attracted to the oil business: “It’s interesting – and I look for excitement, adventure.”

Garland is a vehicle connoisseur – he owns jet skis, four wheelers, boats and ATVs – and will soon own a Neoteric hovercraft. But before he placed his order, he signed up for a Hovercraft Training Centers course. “I don’t think you can just toss the keys to your 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,” he explained as he began his training.

After a day of maintenance and flight training, Garland accepts his hovercraft certification from Neoteric President / HTC Instructor Chris Fizgerald …

Garland expected that flying a hovercraft would not be like jet skiing: “Directly on 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.” During his flight training on the Wabash River, however, he was pleased with the exceptional control capabilities its patented reverse thrust system gives the Neoteric Hovertrek™ …

Garland, at 74 years old, describes himself at as “adventurous, outgoing, in good health” - and he adds emphatically, “I’m not too old for this!”

He certainly isn’t. In fact, he’s the perfect example of what Henry Ford – another vehicle connoisseur – had to say: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

And a youthful smile definitely lit up Garland’s face when he learned that Neoteric deducts the 

training fee from their hovercraft price for all Hovercraft Training Centers graduates!

Neoteric hovercraft built from kit to serve in rescue missions

Building a hovercraft from a kit is not just a hobbyist activity. Just ask Walt Sitz, an Oregon resident who is building a craft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Hovercraft Kit so that he can use it to help others.

Walt has been in the aviation business for 25 years; as President and owner of Eagle Wings, Inc., he performs aircraft maintenance and repair and sells powered parachutes. He also belongs to Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that provides rescue and relief support to humanitarian missions worldwide.

Walt Sitz prepares for flight training with Hovercraft Training Centers on the Wabash River.

Walt has never considered recreational vehicles as just for pleasure. “From way back I’ve always first thought, ‘How can it be used to help people,’” he says. “Boats, parachutes, snowmobiles, motorcycles, four wheelers – they can all be used to help people. Hovercraft intrigued me because boats can’t get everywhere.”

His interest in hovercraft peaked when he was deployed to New York after Hurricane Sandy: “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. I've been watching hovercraft for quite awhile and Neoteric kept coming up as the best one. Your reverse thrust system – you need to have that kind of control.”

What cinched the decision for Walt was Neoteric’s affiliation with Hovercraft Training Centers, which trains exclusively on Neoteric craft; he enrolled in a training course before purchasing his hovercraft kit. “That’s what brought us here – we get to try it out before we buy. I was looking at learning to train other people, too, which I can do here. 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.”

Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald shows Walt how to easily unload a Neoteric hovercraft from its custom trailer.

Chris Fitzgerald has Walt's wife Pat listen to his entire flight training session via wireless headsets.

Walt is an aircraft pilot and owns a Cessna 180 ’55 and a De Havilland Beaver. He rebuilt the Beaver from scratch in less than a year, so he’s a natural for constructing his own hovercraft from a kit. And his project will not only be enjoyed – it will also serve to benefit others.

You don’t have to be an aircraft mechanic, however, to build a Neoteric kit hovercraft. Read the experiences, with step-by-step photos, of others who have constructed their own hovercraft in the Neoteric HoverGarage ...

But first things first: see if a hovercraft is right for you with a Hovercraft Training Centers Test Flight or Training Course ...

Prairieton Fire Department Rescue Hovercraft

The Prairieton, Indiana Fire Department has taken ownership of the Neoteric rescue hovercraft formerly employed by the Vigo County Emergency Management Agency in Terre Haute, Indiana. As Dick Setleff, former Emergency Management director said, “It’s about the price of a good motorcycle, and that’s nothing if you can use it to save just one life.”

First responders David Phelps and Ben Cottrell are eager to use the craft for water and ice rescue operations. “There’s a lot of flooding in our area; we’ve rescued a lot of people from stranded vehicles and flooded homes. We’ve had a lot of ice rescues, too,” says Phelps.

Phelps, a 50-year veteran of the Prairieton Fire Department, says, “I’ve known about Neoteric for a long time. And Vigo County Emergency Management used their hovercraft in our area quite a few times. Then we had an opportunity to buy it.”

Cottrell adds, “It has the advantage of going anywhere you want to go. The reverse thrust buckets, those are really nice in maneuvering sideways and going around in circles.”

But buying the rescue hovercraft was just the first step. The very next step was to enroll in a Hovercraft Training Centers pilot and maintenance course. “We had an opportunity to use it on a water rescue, but I opted to wait until we get our training. We want to be sure we know how to do everything properly and not hurt anyone – including ourselves.”

Ben Cottrell (left) and David Phelps (right) receive their hovercraft pilot certifications from Chris Fitzgerald (center). 
See photos of their flight training …

Learn more about Neoteric rescue hovercraft

Take an HTC Test Flight or Training Course

Pakistan Air Force Rescue Hovercraft

Neoteric has manufactured two rescue hovercraft for the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC. The 4-passenger craft are to be used by the Pakistan Air Force for rescue operations. Since 1998, Pakistan and surrounding nations have relied heavily on the PAF for tsunami, cyclone, earthquake and flood rescue and relief operations.

The Neoteric Hovertrek™ is in increasing use by the military, both in the U.S. and in other nations. In 2006, the U.S. Air Force used one of the two Neoteric craft owned by Hill Air Force base to rescue a downed F-16 pilot who crashed on the Great Salt Lake mudflats, where no other rescue vehicle could travel.

U.S. Air Force personnel undergo pilot training at Hovercraft Training Centers. 

Below are a few photos of the two Pakistan Air Force hovercraft during their manufacturing process at Neoteric ...

Body Manufacture: The mold is sprayed with resin, then fiberglass mat is hand-laid in order to ensure a hovercraft body with a high-quality surface.

Final Assembly: The thrust ducts are fitted and each craft goes through the first stage of quality assurance process.

Rescue Accessories: A rear emergency beacon is installed to the cowl of each hovercraft.

Performance Testing: Both hovercraft undergo extensive performance testing on the Wabash River.

Read more about the U.S. Air Force Neoteric hovercraft ...

Paul Biggerstaff's Custom Camouflage Hovercraft

"Neoteric" means "novel and contemporary"; it was chosen as our company name to exemplify our clientele, who want the latest and most unique technology. But the Neoteric-ness doesn't stop with technology - we work with every customer to customize their craft in whatever ways they choose.

Paul Biggerstaff of Woosung, Illinois is an adventurer - a skydiver and gyrocopter pilot - who says he gets bored easily. That's never going to happen in his Neoteric Hovertrek™ with its Advantage Wetland Camouflage color scheme, hand-painted by a skilled artist ...

"I wanted something unique," Paul says, "A gyrocopter has a niche like your hovercraft does - it's unique and different and that's what drew me toward it. We started doing web searches and found Neoteric; it looked like you were the leader of the pack so we zeroed in on you!" 

Here, Paul and his hovercraft arrive at the Wabash River for his first flight training session with
Hovercraft Training Centers ...

The Neoteric hovercraft's reverse thrust buckets are one of it's out-of-the-ordinary features that attracted Paul. Its reverse thrust system makes the Neoteric Hovertrek™ the only hovercraft on the market with the ability to brake, back up and hover in place ... 

Chris Fitzgerald, President of Neoteric Hovercraft and also Hovercraft Training Centers' chief flight instructor, gives Paul a thorough overview before takeoff ... 

As Fitzgerald launches the craft onto the river, Paul is obviously enjoying his adventure even before he takes the controls ... 

As Paul gets down to the serious work of learning to fly, Fitzgerald provides constant instruction via wireless headsets ... 

At the end of the day, Paul receives his pilot certification before he heads back to Illinois to enjoy river adventures not possible in other vehicles. "I live in a river town and have a pontoon and I've had ski boats and all that. But the hovercraft is very interesting because we have a lot of sand bars and mudflats - it'll be perfect for those!" 

You don't need a hovercraft of your own to learn to fly one -

Read more at Hovercraft Training Centers ...