For #ThrowbackThursday, let’s go back to March 14, 1964 when Chris
Fitzgerald, Neoteric’s future founder and president, participated in the
World’s First Hovercraft Race in Canberra, Australia ...
The race was a remarkable success. It drew more than 30,000 spectators and
received extensive media coverage. London’s Flight International
magazine reported: "March 14, 1964, may become a famous date in ACV
history, for on that day, at Canberra, the world's first competitive hovercraft
trials took place. An analogy may be drawn between the Canberra trials of
1964 and the Rheims air meeting of 1909: both mark the beginning of
competitive development in their respective fields.”
 |
The Age Newspaper, 14 March 1964: This hovercraft will take part in the world’s first hovercraft race
over Lake Burley Griffin today. In the cockpit, Edward Thomas;
from left, Ron Davies, Christopher Fitzgerald and Robert Wilson. |
Watch a video filmed during the race ...
In a 2001 article, journalist Eric Shackle related Neoteric’s evolution since the World’s First Hovercraft Race ...
In a 2001 article, journalist Eric Shackle related Neoteric’s evolution since the World’s First Hovercraft Race ...
Melbourne
Entrant’s Success Story
One of
the entrants in the World's First Hovercraft Race, Australian Air Cushion Vehicle Development, vigorously pursued
its interest in hovercraft, transferred to the US, and is now one of the
world's leading manufacturers of the craft: Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.
In
1964, the company competed in the first world hovercraft race. As experience
mounted, the Rotary International Foundation awarded AACVD's president, Chris
Fitzgerald, a scholarship for a world hovercraft study tour which resulted in
contact with virtually every hovercraft project in existence.
Innovations
continued and, by 1973, a prototype hovercraft, the Neova, was completed and
AACVD formed a new company, Neoteric Engineering Affiliates Pty. Ltd., which
created staggering world interest when it introduced the Neova at a press
demonstration in July, 1974 in Melbourne, Australia. All were anticipating a
promising future for this curious new flying machine.
Hoping
to sell their technology to the burgeoning recreational vehicle market in the
United States, the engineering team made what was intended to be a temporary
move to the USA in 1975. After a short time, however, they discovered that
there was a virgin market for the manufacturing of hovercraft and began
reorienting their company's focus in that direction. This spurred the spin-off
company, Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.
Today,
Neoteric boasts a clientele that spans 50 countries and includes Disney World,
local and national [and international] rescue departments, dive teams, gold
mines, environmental and fishery research departments at universities,
oil-spill clean-up, the US Army Corps of Engineers and, of course, numerous
people who enjoy exploring remote areas that cannot be reached by any other
means.
They've
come a long way since taking part in that historic 1964 race on Lake Burley
Griffin!
