Seguridad de Guanajuato in Mexico relies on Neoteric Hovercraft

Seguridad de Guanajuato, the state public security forces, is a branch of government in Mexico that is similar to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It's headquarters are in the city of Guanajuato, capitol of the state of Guanajuato. The city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is known as one of Mexico's most beautiful cities ...

Near the city, Securidad de Guanajuato has a base at the edge of Lago de Yuriria. Lake Yuriria is one of the two principal lakes in the state and is a popular attraction for both tourists and locals. Unfortunately, it's also the site of frequent accidents as well as drug enforcement problems. Compounding these issues is the fact that the lake often becomes completely covered with water lilies, over which regular boats can't travel. This not only increases the likelihood of accidents but also makes rescue operations more difficult and dangerous ...

But Neoteric Hovercraft came to the rescue. Officials from Seguridad de Guanajuato discovered Neoteric Hovercraft at last year’s FDIC (Fire Department Instructors’ Conference) in Indianapolis and quickly recognized that hovercraft would solve their problems. Early this year, the department purchased two 6-passenger Neoteric rescue hovercraft with cabins, along with two custom trailers ... 

One of the two Securidad de Guanajuato hovercraft awaits performance testing on the Wabash River in Terre Haute, Indiana
prior to shipment to Mexico.

The sales agreement was signed January 21, the day after President Trump took office. Delivery of the two hovercraft was delayed due to a number of problems, including the rising friction between the U.S. and Mexico, increasingly complicated customs procedures, and that fact that the Mexican peso plunged to an all-time low, which initiated a price re-negotiation.

But we at Neoteric value our 40+ year reputation for excellent customer service and will let no obstacles prevent us from fulfilling an order and ensuring customer satisfaction. Nothing is more important than hearing clients tell us - as did Wylie Fire-Rescue in Texas, for example  – “It's really a pleasure to work with a company that proves over and over to its customers that they truly care.”

So, despite all the obstacles, the two hovercraft were successfully shipped to Mexico. Then, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald and Vice President Steve Stafford spent last week in Guanajuato conducting on-site hovercraft flight training and maintenance instruction for twenty officers and cadets from Seguridad de Guanajuato.

Fitzgerald and Stafford were assisted all week by two excellent technical translators, Jessica Pachaco (4th from left) and Eva Machado (3rd from right). Jessica is fluent in 7 different languages, and both were of tremendous help ...

The first two days at Securidad de Guanajuato headquarters consisted of ground instruction and comprehensive maintenance training, including detailed explanations of the hovercraft's various systems and how to correct problems should they arise. 

Thorough maintenance training was essential, given the environment at Lake Yuriria, with temperatures in the 90s. The 70-mile-long lake is at an elevation of 5,175 feet; engine and fan performance can be reduced by 4% per every 1000 feet of elevation, which could affect lift and thrust. ...

Here, the trainees learn how to replace the hovercraft cabins with standard windshields ...

At the conclusion of ground instruction and maintenance training, the entire crew traveled to Lake Yuriria with one of their hovercraft for hands-on flight training. The constantly moving clusters of water lilies were no obstacle for the hovercraft ...

Despite other obstacles - such as horses, herds of goats, and student paddlers - the flight training proceeded smoothly and successfully ...

At the end of the week, the state police officers and cadets from Seguridad de Guanajuato receive their hovercraft pilot training certifications ...

Seguridad de Guanajuato's two Neoteric hovercraft will be used to patrol Lake Yuriria, even when the lake is covered with water lily growth that prevents access by any other watercraft. Now the agency will be able to check fishing permits, control the flow of illegal drugs, and to perform water rescues more easily and more safely than ever before.

Learn more about flight & maintenance training at

Hovercraft Training Centers ...

Man, pregnant wife rescued from Brazos River by Neoteric Hovercraft

Nueces County Record Star

May 15, 2017

By Mark Wilson

A husband and his pregnant wife who became lost and exhausted while on a tubing excursion late Sunday afternoon on the Brazos River were rescued by members of the Somervell County Fire Department — with a little help from technology — according to Fire Chief Mark Crawford. 

Chief Crawford says their Neoteric hovercraft “is very useful for our river rescues when the water moves from too shallow to deep. It hovers 9 inches above the surface so swift water and hidden obstacles don’t affect it. The advantage of the hovercraft is that it can hover in fast, rough water and operate on land, shallow and deep water. We have around 50 miles of river in our county.”

“Dispatch should be credited for pinging the cell phone and sending us right to them,” Crawford said after the incident, which occurred on the river north of the iron bridge that is on U.S. Highway 67.

Crawford said the couple became exhausted “from fighting the river current.”

The SCFD’s hovercraft was sent, and was able to pick up the two, who were visiting Somervell County.

“They were found approximately two miles off course and were delivered to the waiting ambulance for evaluation,” Crawford noted.

The man told first responders that his wife had become “panicky,” but neither needed to be transported for medical treatment, according to Crawford.

The SCFD also had used its hovercraft to search for a man and his son who were reportedly stranded on the river in a canoe or kayak, but they were able to reach shore on their own.

The rescue was just one part of a busy and successful Sunday for local first responders.

Read what other first responders say about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...