06 December, 2018

#TBT: World’s First Hovercraft Race

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 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.
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.”

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  ...
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!



29 November, 2018

#TBT: Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action at #FDIC

Firefighters and first responders: Kick off this #ThrowbackThursday with a video of a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action at last April’s Fire Department Instructors Conference. Watch how the only hovercraft with reverse thrust for braking and backing up can be critical in rescue operations. First responders, this lets you easily reach the victim without having to submerge yourself in water, ice, snow, mud, etc. …



On to the future ... Mark your calendars now so you can get off to a flying start at FDIC 2019. Come to Neoteric Demo Booth 19403 to experience a rescue hovercraft flight every half hour. This is your chance to see why your fellow #firefighters and first responders in more than 50 nations rely on Neoteric hovercraft to keep them safe and take them where no other apparatus can go.

This is an ideal opportunity for you to see firsthand why Neoteric hovercraft are recognized worldwide as the fastest, safest, easiest way to rescue water, ice, swift water, mud and flood victims. Don't miss out!





17 October, 2018

Build your own hovercraft from a kit – the perfect family project!

Looking for something to make your time with family and friends extra special? Here’s a way to do something you’ve never done before … and then go where you’ve never gone before – while saving money!

All you need is a Neoteric Partially-assembled Hovercraft Kit and you can easily build your own hovercraft, which will let you explore and enjoy places other vehicles can’t go – over water, ice, snow, mud, sand … you name it.

It’s easy to build from a Neoteric kit hovercraft, since much of the assembly has already been done for you at our factory and our kits come with full instructions, including a DVD. It takes about 40 hours and all you need are basic workshop skills, a work area the size of a 1-car garage and common hand tools, i.e. screwdrivers, wrenches, an electric drill and a pop rivet gun.

Here’s just one example of our many customers who chose to build their own hovercraft in order to have an enjoyable experience – and save 25% off the price of a manufactured hovercraft: Nebraska resident Tim Juzyk decided to build his own 4-passenger personal hovercraft from our Model #3706 Deluxe Kit, shown here in his garage after its completion …


The capabilities of Neoteric’s reverse thrust system, along with side-by-side seating, were major factors in Tim’s decision to go with Neoteric.

And building his hovercraft was a family project.  He says, “I enjoyed working with my nephews and brother to build the hovercraft. Andy (in the photos) is one of my nephews. He’s 8 years old and he’s sure eager for a ride in the hovercraft!” ...



Following his Neoteric Hovercraft Kit’s full instructions, Tim easily installs the HoverTrek’s skirts and side-by-side seating …




Why did Tim decide he needed a hovercraft? As they are for many hovercrafters, family, friends and adventure were major factors. Tim explains, “My ranch is just a mile from the Platte River. The word “Nebraska” is derived from a Native American word that means “flat water” because of the Platte. It’s a great place for a hovercraft because it’s wide, shallow and extends for hundreds of miles. I plan to use my hovercraft mostly to explore the nearby Platte and its tributary, the Loup River, with family and friends.

And after helping his Uncle Tim build the hovercraft, Andy is ready to start hovering! …



See how to build your own hovercraft from a kit in the



07 August, 2018

Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft excel in Homeland Security exercise

Last week, three Neoteric rescue hovercraft were featured in a major Indiana Department of Homeland Security flood rescue exercise, attended by the Directors of numerous Emergency Management Agencies.

The attendees expressed great surprise at how fast Neoteric hovercraft can maneuver and perform water and flood rescues. After all, Neoteric craft can safely and successfully complete these rescues in a quarter of the time it would take with boats!  

The event took place at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex in southern Indiana, the Department of Defense’s largest urban training facility – and immediately appeared as the cover story in the IDHS publication, The Hoosier Responder


Neoteric Vice President Steve Stafford arranged for the hovercraft to perform in the exercise. Stafford is also a Captain with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department and the founder of Project H.E.R.O. (Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations), a non-profit organization that uses Neoteric hovercraft to assist rescue and law enforcement agencies in search and rescue missions.

Along with Steve and Susie Stafford with their Project H.E.R.O. hovercraft, other participants included Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald with a Neoteric flight training hovercraft and first responders from the White River Hazleton Fire Department with their Neoteric rescue hovercraft.


Fire Chief Mark Ellis came to the exercise already impressed with the performance of his department’s hovercraft. As he says, “Our hovercraft can go right over a log, rocky shallow waters, sand, mud, you name it.

The Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex is used for a variety of training scenarios by a multitude of civilian and military organizations, both foreign and domestic. The 974-acre site offers a globally unique urban and rural multi-domain environment that includes a 180-acre reservoir and more than 120 structures. As described on its website, the facility is “As Real As It Gets.”

As for the Neoteric rescue hovercraft, as this exercise demonstrated, when it comes to water rescue vehicles, they’re as fast, safe and effective as it gets!

Enjoy these few photos of the training exercise, then don’t miss the full gallery …

The attendees playing the roles of victims take their places on the submerged structures
at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex.
The three Neoteric hovercraft prepare to launch and perform flood rescue exercises.
Steve Stafford pilots his Project H.E.R.O. Neoteric rescue hovercraft.
White River Hazleton Fire Department's Neoteric hovercraft performs a water rescue.


First responders:






05 August, 2018

Rose-Hulman and Neoteric Hovercraft team up for student success

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – the #1 undergraduate engineering college in the U.S. for nearly 20 years – employs the ideal tool to create enthusiasm for science and engineering among students: the Neoteric hovercraft!

As the most recent example of Rose-Hulman’s 35-year collaboration with Neoteric, the institute’s popular Operation Catapult summer program brought 30 high school seniors from the U.S. and other nations to visit Neoteric’s manufacturing facility.

As Rose-Hulman describes Operation Catapult, “It’s a tasty taco of science, engineering and math awesomeness, with layers of savory STEM opportunities in a delicious shell of fun that lets rising high school seniors reach into robotics, or do cool things like brew biodiesel or make a machine from scratch.”

And that’s just what the students did - the tour helped them design a working hovercraft!

Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald welcomes the first team of students from Rose-Hulman’s Operation Catapult program.
After the Neoteric tour, Operation Catapult’s Assistant Director, Professor John Aidoo, reported that the students found the tour “very interesting and informative. This is about my 5th visit to the plant. I always find the workers very professional and helpful toward the high school kids. I have been impressed and encouraged by our relationship with Neoteric. We hope that in the near future we can invite some of your engineers to be guest speakers during Operation Catapult.”

Professor Aidoo added, “Operation Catapult is one of the major recruiting tools used by Rose-Hulman. About 30% of the students in Operation Catapult attend Rose after graduating from high school.

Rose-Hulman Professor of Engineering John Aidoo (left) and Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald (right) pose with Operation Catapult students in Neoteric’s hovercraft manufacturing facility.
Other Rose-Hulman professors who have brought students to Neoteric over the years echo Professor Aidoo’s comments. As one example, Dr. Diane Evans, Professor of Engineering Management, said this after bringing her Master’s Degree students to visit Neoteric:

I decided that I’d like this seminar to be an opportunity to show the students some companies that practice quality in the workplace. I had been to Neoteric before during an American Society of Quality (ASQ) tour and I knew the students would really appreciate what Chris is doing … This is one of the best tours on which I’ve taken students. There were so many aspects of the visit that pertained to what I teach – for example, the Kanban system and the Toyota Production System process. Chris’ dedication to continued learning and growing is inspirational.”

Neoteric is honored to have such a long-standing relationship with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. It began 35 years ago, when Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald was selected as Rose-Hulman’s very first Entrepreneur in Residence. Since then, scores of Rose-Hulman students find internships, employment and participation in special engineering projects at Neoteric.

We at Neoteric, as always, enjoyed our visit with the Operation Catapult students, and we look forward to continuing our valuable relationship with Rose-Hulman for years to come.



14 June, 2018

#TBT: Bubba’s Hover: “The coolest thing to ever hit the golf course!”

On this #ThrowbackThursday, let’s hover back to Bubba. In 2013, golf pro Bubba Watson chose Neoteric to design and create the world’s first hovercraft golf cart. The viral video, Bubba’s Hover, was an immediate internet sensation - in only two weeks it had nearly 8 million views on YouTube alone - and it had also become a worldwide media phenomenon.

Enjoy a #TBT review of the Neoteric creation the media dubbed "the coolest thing to ever hit the golf course" ...










22 March, 2018

#TBT: #Firefighters & #FirstResponders – Don’t miss this!

For #ThrowbackThursday, let’s fly back a year to the Neoteric Hovercraft booth at #FDIC 2017 …



Wait a minute – nothing was flying last year. That hovercraft is just … sitting there. That’s one reason it's called 'throwback' - it's a thing of the past.

Yes, that no-fly zone is history. This year you can get off to a flying start at #FDIC2018! All you have to do is visit Neoteric at outdoor booth #19203 to see a rescue hovercraft in action! This is your chance to find out first-hand why your fellow first responders in 50+ nations rely on Neoteric hovercraft – proven to be the safest, fastest vehicle for water, ice, mud, flood and swift water rescues.

And plan to hang out after the flight to board a hovercraft and check it out hands-on. This is a great opportunity for videos and pics!


(We can’t promise that the hovercraft flight you attend will take place over water, mud or ice
… but with this year’s weather, who knows?)

Put this on your priority list and don’t miss the chance to see for yourself how a hovercraft keeps you above the danger – not in it. Then come to Neoteric’s booth #19203 in the outdoor demo lot on South Street during FDIC 2018, April 26-28 In Indianapolis!


To get your FDIC 2018 hovercraft flight schedule ...
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the Neoteric Blog



08 March, 2018

#TBT: The Neoteric Hoverlifter – “First of its kind in the world”

It’s #ThrowbackThursday and time for something big!

In 1991, as one of its many special projects, Neoteric custom designed a 5,000 lb. Hoverlifter for placing sand atop a Massachusetts cranberry farm, a grower with #OceanSpray. The Hoverlifter introduced an entirely new hovercraft construction concept utilizing aluminum tubing and fabric.

Watch the Hoverlifter on the news …


A Hoverlifter with an entirely different design and composition was also developed for #Alcoa Aluminum to move half-ton units around on the roof of a 140-acre factory. 

From Hoverlifters, to Hovering Dragons for #Disney World, to #Bubba'sHover, Neoteric has a long history of 'First of its kind in the world' special projects in hovercraft design. Read more ... 




01 March, 2018

#TBT: Neoteric Hovercraft featured on WealthTV's 'Boys Toys'

#ThrowbackThursday flies you back to 2012, when WealthTV (now known as AWE - A Wealth of Entertainment) featured Neoteric Hovercraft on its popular show Boys Toys, hosted by Emmy-nominated Jenn Barlow. 

The episode was titled "Hoosier Daddy" and the show's promo was "Talk about a rush! This one-of-a-kind amphibious vehicle will have you re-evaluating your definition of the word 'cool'."

Watch the show and see Jenn Barlow learn hands-on how to "get over the hump and fly this bad boy!"







22 February, 2018

#TBT: Documentary features Neoteric hovercraft water rescue

For #ThrowbackThursday, read what first responders said after participating in a Neoteric HoverTrek™ water rescue filmed by a documentary crew back in 2009 …

Mecosta County Sheriff's Department's Neoteric Hovercraft Rescue Team in action.
“The Neoteric craft is a very unique design. It’s able to hover in one spot, turn on a dime, move slowly in between houses (in flood rescue operations), fly backwards - this craft does things that I’ve never seen another hovercraft do.”

“I’m impressed that Neoteric hovercraft are used all over the world and I was impressed with the owner of the company, Chris, and his knowledge and many years of experience … [these are] hovercraft that have years and years of insight and testing behind them.”

“When you’re going into a situation to save someone’s life, it often means that you’re going to put yourself in danger as well. I am not going to put myself or my team or the victims at risk by going into a situation that we are not equipped for … after spending a day with Chris, I realized this guy really, really knows what he’s talking about, has put a lot of thought and care into his work and is very serious about the task at hand - to create hovercraft that are designed to go where boats and helicopters can’t go.”

“You’ve got an airboat, you’ve got a hovercraft, and you’ve got a traditional boat … I just couldn’t come up with any other vehicle that could match what a hovercraft can do. Well, not “a” hovercraft - THIS hovercraft. Caterpillar makes the best equipment. Peterbilt makes the best truck. Neoteric makes the best hovercraft.”

Now, back to the present day ...


#IceRescue, #WaterRescue, #MudRescue, #FireRescue organizations:

In two weeks, you can start saving lives safely – and affordably – 




20 February, 2018

Here's your gateway to hovercraft ...

If you’ve ever wanted to own a hovercraft – for recreational, rescue, commercial or even military use – here’s the perfect opportunity for you!


Limited-Time Sale: 
10 % OFF
Neoteric Hovertrek Standard Hovercraft
Reg. $22,220
Only $19,998
Now through April 18, 2018



Your new hovercraft includes:

- A FREE Flight Training Course
- White body; durable black skirts
- 4-passenger inline seating
- Windshield
- 55 HP 2-cycle engine
- Tachometer/hour meter
- 2 engine temperature sensors
- Kill switch with key
- Operator’s Manual

You don’t have to be in Star Trek to boldly go where no other vehicle can take you – swiftwater, ice, snow, mud, swampland – your new hovercraft will get you there
without emptying your pockets!

Contact us today to save money and start hovering in 2 weeks!


Or call us now at
1-800-285-3761



15 February, 2018

#TBT VIDEO: Neoteric Hovercraft featured on Indiana Outdoor Adventures

For #ThrowbackThursday let’s go back four years and watch one of the most informative videos about hovercraft you’ll ever see!

Indiana Outdoor Adventures, broadcast to 44+ million U.S. households, devoted an entire episode to Neoteric Hovercraft. See hovercraft in action, watch them being built, and hear Neoteric Founder/President Chris Fitzgerald discuss how hovercraft came to be, how they work, their capabilities, why they’re so safe, the background story of Bubba’s Hover … and lots more …





12 February, 2018

Neoteric Hovercraft inspires Rose-Hulman graduate students

In 1983, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald was honored to be selected as the very first Entrepreneur in Residence at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the #1 undergraduate engineering college in the U.S. for the last 19 years.

A productive relationship has flourished between Neoteric and Rose-Hulman in the decades since then. Scores of Rose-Hulman students find employment, internships and involvement in special engineering projects at Neoteric. The first World Symposium on Hovercraft Rescue was held at Rose-Hulman as a part of World Hovercraft Week 2002, chaired by Fitzgerald.

Last week, 20 Rose-Hulman Master’s Degree students came to Neoteric for an introduction to hovercraft and our manufacturing process, accompanied by Dr. Diane Evans, Professor of Engineering Management and Dr. Terry Schumacher, Associate Professor of Engineering Management. Their department has a seminar for its graduate students every quarter and, as Dr. Evans explains, “I decided that I’d like this seminar to be an opportunity to show the students some companies that practice quality in the workplace. I had been to Neoteric before during an American Society of Quality (ASQ) tour and I knew the students would really appreciate what Chris is doing right in the middle of Terre Haute.”

Watch a video clip of Chris Fitzgerald discussing Neoteric’s manufacturing process …


How did the students react to the tour? According to Dr. Evans, “They loved it. The students couldn’t believe that this awesome facility was in Terre Haute. They were amazed at how the hovercraft works and how much Chris knew about the whole process. They thought he was incredible – they enjoyed listening and learning from him.  They also loved the actual demonstration of how the hovercraft works with the smaller tube-like one.

Dr. Evans is referring to the company’s Hovering Billiard Ball, one of many Neoteric developed for Gallagher, the U.S. comedian. Here, Fitzgerald uses the Hovering Billiard Ball with the ball top removed to demonstrate hovercraft lift, daylight clearance and cushion stability to the students …


Even the wintry weather didn’t hinder the students’ fascination with hovercraft and Neoteric’s production processes. Here, outside the manufacturing facility, Fitzgerald demonstrates how the company’s skirt flagellation text rig assures Neoteric’s high-quality, durable hovercraft skirts …

Dr. Evans was also quite pleased with the visit. She said, “This is one of the best tours on which I’ve taken students. There were so many aspects of the visit that pertained to what I teach – for example, the Kanban system and the Toyota Production System process. Chris’ dedication to continued learning and growing is inspirational.”

These feelings are mutual. We at Neoteric, as always, enjoyed our visit with the students, Dr. Evans and Dr. Schumacher, and look forward to continuing our valuable relationship with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for years to come.




08 February, 2018

#TBT: Neoteric Hovercraft in 1980s TV commercials

For #ThrowbackThursday, let's hover back to the early 1980s, when Neoteric's new LeMere and Neova II hovercraft gained international fame in television commercials. They were featured in TV ads for Canada's Labatt's Beer, Germany's Lord Extra Cigarettes and Brazil's Hollywood Cigarettes.

Watch the Labatt's Beer commercial, filmed on Lake Isabella in California. When commonplace boats are too ordinary for the job, it's Neoteric to the rescue! ... 

01 February, 2018

#TBT: The first "Neoteric" hovercraft

To say that Neoteric Founder/President Chris Fitzgerald has devoted his life to hovercraft is no exaggeration. He began designing award-winning hovercraft in his early teens and quickly attracted the interest of the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne, Australia, who hired him as a technical assistant.

Here’s an article the Melbourne Sun published about Fitzgerald in the early 1960s …

YOUNG AUSTRALIAN BUILDS HOVERCRAFT

A young Australian, Christopher Fitzgerald, is anxiously awaiting the results of this year’s Science Talent Search.

Christopher’s main interest in life lies with hovercraft, and last year he won £10 in the same competition for the design of a wind tunnel for use in the design of these oddly shaped means of transport. He is hoping for even greater success this time.
Christopher Fitzgerald with his experimental hovercraft.
Christopher has recently left school and has found himself a job at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne. There he is doing the thing he most wants to do - working with hovercraft.

“Three years ago,” he said, “I was reading an article in a magazine about one of these strange crafts. At that time little was known about them. I became very interested and later built my first one, which was three feet by three feet, and constructed from balsa wood. It weighed a total of 6 lb. including the engine, which was a 3.5 c.c. model aeroplane one.

“It could carry a payload of 28 lb. but the weight was hard to distribute. To a degree I overcame this problem by building four little boxes on each of the corners of the hovercraft and these were filled with weights until it balanced from its point of gravity, which in my case was the prop on the engine.”

Carry More

“In comparison with a model plane with the same size engine, it was found that the plane could carry only 3 lb., but the hovercraft could take 28 lb.

“Studying further, I found that a wind tunnel would be a great asset to the construction and designing of hovercraft, so I set about to build one. The first attempt was made out of wood and sheet metal.

“It was 15 feet long and had a vacuum cleaner engine, but this did not satisfy my needs. I then built another which was all metal and 18 feet long with a 5 phase electric motor with an air speed of 50 m.p.h.

“With this tunnel I won my £10 at the Science Talent Search but even so, it still does not do all I want it to do. I plan now to lengthen it and install a 28 h.p. truck engine with an estimated airspeed of 100 m.p.h.”

Christopher’s next hovercraft was constructed of aluminum and weighed 10 lb., being powered by a bigger engine than the first. He has made a number of attempts to use the air jets as a means of propulsion, but to date, none has been successful.

On Display

“Early last year when the Avalon pageant was announced, The Ultra Light Aircraft Association, of which I am a member, asked me to display my hovercraft on their stand.”

Since then, Christopher has taken his interest further by started a Hovercraft Research Association in Australia.

“We intend to develop hovercraft as a means of transport,” he said. “The reasons for such hopes are that we believe these craft to be the potential machine to revolutionise transport.

“A full-scale research plan has been started for the eventual building of a prototype machine.”

Because his interest in the air is not entirely limited to hovercraft, Christopher is also keen to learn to fly, and recently he and a friend bought a Puss Moth with money they earned from week-end clearing jobs. His pilot’s license is the next step.



25 January, 2018

#TBT Disney World Hovercraft Dragons

For #ThrowbackThursday, hover back to the early 1980s, when Neoteric created 15 Hovercraft Dragons for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida …

Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald (center) leads the fleet of Disney Dragon Hovercraft and their pilots.

Yes, even Hovercraft Dragons have reverse thrust buckets when they're manufactured by Neoteric!



23 January, 2018

NEW! Neoteric Hovercraft Heavy-Duty Skirts

Throughout our decades of business, one of Neoteric’s primary goals is to constantly strive to improve our products. Since the skirt system is one of the most important parts of your hovercraft, we’ve devoted great effort to developing hovercraft skirts that have greater endurance and a longer life.

For the last year, we’ve worked with Trelleborg Coated Systems, a leading global supplier of high-performance engineered coated fabrics. And we’re in good company: Trelleborg creates materials for the world’s most technologically advanced industries. For example, the composite tape that gives thermal protection to the booster rockets of VEGA (Advanced Generation European Vehicle), a launch system for commercial satellites.

Now we’re passing the benefits of this collaboration on to our customers: new heavy-duty, longer-lasting, lower-maintenance hovercraft skirts …




What will these new hovercraft skirts do for you?

These exclusive Neoteric Hovercraft skirt sets and replaceable wear sections give you:

  • Improved tear strength
  • Less surface contact resistance
  • Greater fabric flexibility over wide temperature range
  • Higher abrasion resistance
  • Improved resistance to the destructive forces of hydrocarbons and sunlight
  • Superior delamination properties
  • Easy to clean
  • Light weight
 All this adds up to give you increased skirt life and less maintenance. 

What makes these hovercraft skirts so superior?

Neoteric’s new skirts are made of a composite that resists the elements better than any other known material and combines the flexibility of rubber with extreme ruggedness:  chlorosulfonated polyethylene synthetic rubber. Previously named Hypalon™ and originally manufactured by DuPont, CSPE is recognized for its resistance to chemicals, weather, temperature extremes, abrasion, oil and ultraviolet light.

Whether you use your hovercraft for rescue, recreation, commercial or military purposes, now there’s a way for you to better its performance, dramatically increase the life of its skirt system, and decrease your maintenance time - and this is the perfect time to do it! ...

Limited-Time Sale:
10% OFF ALL HOVERCRAFT SKIRTS




13 January, 2018

Neoteric Hovercraft: The ‘miracle’ needed in California #floods, #mudslides?

As of today, 462 homes have been damaged and 65 completely destroyed by the devastating flooding and mudslides that struck southern California Tuesday. Seventeen people have died and five are still missing.

As the Associated Press reports, “Rescuers ‘searching for a miracle’ in California mudslides.” Perhaps that miracle could have been the early deployment of hovercraft.

To quote ABC News coverage of the California disaster, “In 2014, a mudslide in rural Oso in Washington state killed 43 people … Travis Hots, fire chief of Snohomish County Fire District 22, was on the scene in the first hour after that catastrophe. He recalled a sea of mud so thick that crews had trouble slogging through it or so watery it was like quicksand.

What ABC didn’t mention is the vital role performed in that mudslide by the three Neoteric rescue hovercraft owned by Snohomish County Fire District and Snohomish County Search and Rescue. Their hovercraft enable first responders to access areas other vehicles can't reach ...

 Read the full story, with photo gallery…


Snohomish County said, “Our hovercraft can navigate through floating debris and logs, so we’re able to cross the flooded valley and access the debris field. These Neoteric craft are able to quickly and safely access almost any environment.”

Imagine what might have been accomplished in the California rescue operations if hovercraft had been available … easier, faster rescues. Lives saved. First responders kept above the danger, not in it.

Hovercraft are a necessity in flood, mud and water rescues

As Maritime Reporter and Marine News magazines state: “Small hovercraft have a growing role to play in search and rescue, commercial and military operations around the world. Hovercraft can be a practical proposition for operations in areas inaccessible to other vehicles including frozen water, mud flats, intertidal areas, shallow rivers and flooded inland areas. Perceived to be environmentally sound, as they don’t exhaust into the water, create no wash and do not disturb the sea bed, they are also economical and do not endanger marine animals as there is no propeller in the water.”

Neoteric is the original and most experienced light hovercraft manufacturer, relied upon by
first responders in 50+ nations for more than four decades. And Neoteric’s founder, Chris Fitzgerald, agrees with these magazines. In a recent news article about the role of Neoteric rescue hovercraft in Hurricane Harvey, he says, “The real tragedy is there should be thousands of hovercraft for these rescues. They can do so much more than other vehicles and fill the gap in amphibious transport, as hovercraft can operate in fast-flowing water, in water full of debris or in shallow water, places where boats have a problem … Even when Katrina hit, we had craft operating and in a mud slide in Oregon a few years ago. We are sorry to see these tragedies, but with global warming, we will see a lot more, unfortunately.”

News media: Spread the word about rescue hovercraft – you’ll save lives

The news media could literally save lives if more coverage were devoted to the unequalled value of hovercraft in natural disasters such as these. The fact that so many well-known and influential people were regrettably affected by the California tragedy could help boost this coverage. Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe are all residents of Montecito, the city ravaged by the mudslides …

Ellen Tweeted: "This is not a river. This is the 101 freeway in my neighborhood right now. Montecito needs your love and support " …

What is devastating is that we lost so many lives,” Oprah said yesterday on The Ellen Show. “It’s such a tiny, little community and nobody would have expected that after we survived the fires that we would have this devastation with the mudslides so soon.” She described how some of her neighbors’ houses were "just gone" after a 300-foot wide stream of mud ripped through them …

On Instagram, Oprah posted a video of her wading through the mud and debris on her property, saying, “Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern. My property is fine. Some mud , and minor damage that pales in comparison to what my neighbors are going thru. #mudslides" ...

Oprah’s neighbor, Jeff Bridges, Tweeted, “Our home has been severely damaged, but we are safe, and so thankful for that and for the first responders who are working tirelessly to save people. We are heartbroken over the loss of lives in our community. Your prayers and best wishes are most appreciated.

Rob Lowe Tweeted, “Mourning the dead in our little town tonight. Praying for the survivors and preparing for whatever may come. #Montecito

@Ellen, @Oprah, @TheJeffBridges, and @RobLowe, we invite you to read more on the Neoteric blog and website to see why first responders in 50+ nations rely on the Neoteric rescue hovercraft to save lives safely … and we hope you’ll share the news.

Maybe this lifesaving news should be featured on The Ellen Show @EllenTV?

And to the news media: why not some good news, for a change?