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.