20 January, 2015

DRONE VIDEO: Hovercraft Ice Rescue

You’ve seen the news video of last weekend’s ice rescue practice session with the Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Department and their Neoteric rescue hovercraft.

Now check out this eye-in-the-sky view: excellent drone footage of the event on Calmuck Lake in Monroe City, Indiana, filmed by Rodney Helderman. It illustrates how well the Neoteric Rescue HoverTrek™ performs on thin and broken ice – quickly and safely accessing victims where no other vehicle can go …




First Responders: Learn more about scenarios for rescue hovercraft …



18 January, 2015

VIDEO: Neoteric hovercraft practice ice rescue operations

Yesterday Filip Przybysz, Neoteric’s Vice President of Marketing, fell through the ice on a frozen lake – on purpose!

Filip took on the role of victim during an ice rescue practice Saturday for the Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Departments and their Neoteric rescue hovercraft. The practice was organized and conducted by HTC Flight Instructor, Steve Stafford, who is also Neoteric's Law Enforcement Liaison and is the founder of Project H.E.R.O. (Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations).

Appreciation also goes to property owner David Vanderbeck, to Dan Bush, who provided the 4-wheeler, and to Rodney Helderman who filmed drone footage of the exercises. 

Watch the news video below and see one of the many ways Neoteric and Hovercraft Training Centers serve customers long after the sale (and check back in soon to see the drone video) ...


TRANSCRIPT:

When the winter months roll around, we all know being out on the water or ice can be very dangerous, even deadly, in fact and public safety officials were out on the water today practicing for an ice rescue. Reporter Lauren Minor joined them to see what happens during one of these emergencies …

The moment you actually fall in, you get in such a temperature shock,” says Director of Marketing and Sales at Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc., Filip Przybysz.

It can happen in a matter of seconds. You’re walking along and the ice breaks.

Filip Przybysz played the victim in Saturday’s demonstration of an ice rescue. Even though it was all for practice, he got to experience what it is like when falling into cold water: “As soon as you get out, I think your body heats up so fast, that’s when I was laying on the stretcher, I was shaking a little bit, but then I was told I was actually feeling warm.

Rescuers say the most important thing is to keep moving so your body doesn’t stiffen up.

I was actually okay, and the rescuers told me it was actually a fake perception because you wouldn’t go into hypothermia without knowing that,” said Przybysz

If you’re ever out on the ice, ice picks are a good thing to keep with you; that way if you do fall in, you can use the picks to pull yourself out.

"I equate it to like shooting a basketball, if you only shoot ten shots a month that's all the better you will ever be. So you have to practice with it to become proficient with it," says Fire Chief Mike Ellis of the White River Hazleton Fire Department.

Hovercraft can play a key role in ice rescue safety: they can get onto the ice and to the victim quickly and safely.

"The adrenaline kicks in and so does the training, and you do what you have been training to do all along," says Steve Stafford from Project H.E.R.O.

Steve Stafford also assisted with the rescue. [As a flight instructor with Hovercraft Training Centers] he travels all over to train with departments who have ice rescuers. "We have been asked to go to Kentucky, Ohio, to assist and basically if we get a hurricane or a request we will do our best to respond there also."

Ice rescuing may not happen too often in southern Indiana, but when it does, they have to be ready.

The hovercraft that were used by the Perry Clear Creek and the White River Township and Hazleton Fire Unit today, were actually created right here in Terre Haute at Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.


First responders: Could a hovercraft help you save lives?

And see for yourself with a Test Flight or Training Course




14 January, 2015

National Geographic TV’s “Street Genius” to feature Neoteric Hovercraft!

There's no question that hovercraft attract attention. And the media just can't get enough of the Neoteric HoverTrek™. So, move over, Bubba's Hover, because you're about to be upstaged: Neoteric customer Gary Meyers and his hovercraft (named "Neo") are starring in an upcoming episode of NatGeo TV's Street Genius - to be aired in 170 countries in 45 languages!

Enjoy a brief premiere - here's footage from the May 2014 filming at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada ...



After the filming, Gary said, "The hovercraft was the main feature of the entire episode. Tim Shaw (the show's host) rode with me on several test flights, where we spun around on Lake Las Vegas and then flew up the beach toward the cameras. On the first take, I was to run perpendicularly up the sloped beach and stop right in front of multiple TV cameras. No problem - perfect landing! We filmed this approach four separate times at my fastest possible speed and each time I landed almost exactly on the same spot."

Follow our blog posts and we'll soon give you the exact date and time of the Neoteric episode of Street Genius. Leave a comment and let us know if you plan to watch!

In the meantime, check out how you can become a Neoteric celebrity ...


Learn more about Neoteric Hovercraft ...






03 January, 2015

Hovercraft: The Essential Vehicle for Ice Rescue Operations

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland" is a popular song right now. But that walk - or ride - can quickly turn into a nightmare when you're on thin ice. Statistics show that the most frequent victims in ice rescue operations are animals, children, ice fisherman, skaters, snowmobilers - and first responders. 

In ice rescues, time is of the essence; hypothermia and shock can occur in minutes, immobilizing victims and rescuers alike, and traditional ice rescue techniques simply take too long. Much of the usual ice rescue equipment - inflatable walkways, sleds and ropes - can put first responders in as much danger as the victims they're trying to rescue.

But hovercraft fly above the surface, keeping first responders above the danger and greatly speeding up the rescue process. A hovercraft is the only vehicle that can fly easily over thin or broken ice; other rescue vehicles require solid ice at least 5 inches thick. And the Neoteric HoverTrek™, with its patented reverse thrust system, is the most versatile hovercraft available for ice rescue operations.

Another way hovercraft speed up rescue operations is that victims don't have to be disembarked at the water's edge. As a multi-terrain vehicle, a hovercraft can take victims from water, across land or mud, and directly to a waiting ambulance.

The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department's Neoteric HoverTrek™ soars over broken ice on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The hovercraft's 9-inch deep air cushion and reverse thrust enables it to safely maneuver over jagged, broken, snow-covered ice floes.

See for yourself how the HoverTrek™ operates on ice - take a ride with Neoteric customer Dirk Lohry as he flies over thin, cracked ice on McCook Lake in South Dakota ...



When CNN reported earlier this year on a Neoteric hovercraft's rescue of three deer from a frozen lake, the news anchors summed it up quite accurately: "Hovercraft are kind of a genius idea here ... if you go out there with a snowmobile, you're in trouble - it doesn't hover; it's just a craft ... Boats and jet skis are pretty useless on ice and snowmobiles fall through ice if it won't hold their weight. Hovercraft can fly over any surface, so they save many lives. If you fall through the ice, or get sucked into mud or quicksand, better hope someone locally has a hovercraft handy!"


First responders: Is a Neoteric hovercraft right for you?

Find out with a Test Flight or Training Course