Firefighters & rescue professionals, we know you've seen thousands of interesting things this week at FDIC International, the largest fire conference in the world. But there's only one place to see something vitally important to you that appears nowhere else but Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 - and only for a few more hours: a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action.
For the last few years, Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. has been the only rescue hovercraft exhibitor at the FDIC. There's a reason for that. Founded in 1960, Neoteric is the world's original and most experienced light hovercraft manufacturer, with clientele in 50+ nations, including Police, Sheriff and Fire Departments, U.S. Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, Airport Police/Fire/EMS Services, National Parks and more.
There are numerous reasons why the Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft is now the industry standard worldwide. Not only can it take you where no other vehicle can go, it operates more like an aircraft than a boat, flying 9 inches above the surface. An added bonus is it's constructed so that neither the propellers nor any other part of the craft will strike submerged objects.
You can learn all about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft and see them in flight today only at Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 ... which is capturing lots of attention!
You may even get to meet some of your fellow firefighters and hear what they say about how their Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft performs the absolute safest and fastest rescue operations - especially in areas other rescue apparatus can't reach, such as shallow water; swift water; thin, broken ice; mudflats and debris-filled flooded areas on land.
Here's what one recent customer, Chief Tony Young of Oak Island Water Rescue, North Carolina, has to say about the value of their Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...
Don't miss this last chance to see for yourself how a
hovercraft keeps youabove the danger – not in it - so that you can save lives safely.
Firefighters, does your department still rely on ropes, divers, boats and other apparatus for water, ice and mud rescues? Come to FDIC Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 this Thursday through Saturday to experience a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action and see first-hand how it will vastly improve the safety, ease, speed and success of your rescue operations.
Here's one example why first responders prefer hovercraft to other rescue vehicles. In this video, after first responders fail to rescue a stranded family using traditional rescue boats, a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft does the job - and also rescues the rescuers!
Flat
bottom boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of questionable use in
shallow water, swift water, flood, ice and mud rescues, and can pose a serious
danger to you and to the lives you’re tasked to save.
But hovercraft fly 9 inches above the surface - keeping passengers above the danger, not in it - and are
constructed so that neither the propellers nor any other part of the
craft can strike a submerged object.
Here's how some of your fellow first responders around the world compare their Neoteric Hovercraft to other rescue vehicles …
Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue, Canada:
"Our Neoteric Hovercraft gets us into areas that, before, we weren't able to reach, areas that our jet boat can't get into because we ingest debris into the impeller. And the hovercraft saves us a lot of time."
Mansfield Fire Department, Texas USA:
“The benefit of having the hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. It can also hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats that could be a hazard in flood water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue – a safer rescue.”
WOPR, a national water rescue organization in
Poland:
“Regardless
of the weather, our hovercraft can fly over water, ice, mud, sand, grass or
wetlands – allowing us to get to those places you can’t reach either by boat or
by foot. This machine can save people under the most difficult conditions that
prevent the use of a helicopter.”
Somervell County Fire Department, Texas USA:
"Our Neoteric hovercraftis 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."
Put Outdoor Demo Booth 19302 on your FDIC priority list and don't miss the chance to see for yourself how Neoteric Hovercraft outperform other rescue apparatus.
Founded in 1960, Neoteric is the most experienced light hovercraft manufacturer in the world, with clientele in 50+ nations. Our innovative reverse thrust system patented worldwide, makes the Neoteric Hovercraft the only hovercraft that can brake and back up - critical in rescue operations.
Before we
give you the back-story on Phil Yastrow’s Hovercraft Golf Cart, take a look at how
Neoteric Hovercraft are media magnets, just like Bubba’s Hover …
Phil Yastrow
bought his Hovercraft Golf Cart last September … and now he’s appearing with it
on Big & Rich’s Big Kenny’s Crank It
Up Garage, premiering this Thursday, July 8, on Circle TV. Watch the trailer
for a quick glimpse of Phil’s unusual replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1 Hovercraft …
Although
the episode featuring Phil’s hovercraft was the first one filmed, we’re not
absolutely certain it will be the first one aired. But even if you have to watch
several episodes to see it, it’ll be worth it. Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage website says, “Big Kenny and his sidekick Charlie Pennachio find and meet the
builders, crafters and tinkerers of the craziest motorized “projects” you’ve
ever seen. Featuring custom cars, motorcycles, boats, planes and a range of
other weird, wacky and interesting modes of transportation, Kenny and Charlie
chase down their authentic fascination of all things custom.”
Here, Phil and Big Kenny fly the hovercraft during the filming ...
Now let’s
start at the beginning …
Remember
that Neoteric was chosen by Bubba Watson to create the first and only hovercraft
golf cart in the world. An extremely limited number of replicas were made
available to the public. So, you’d think the only reason to buy one of these is
to play golf, right? … wrong!
Golf was
the last thing on Phil Yastrow’s mind when he bought his Neoteric Hovercraft
Cart. Phil is a retired mechanical / electronics engineer who lives in Osage
Beach, Missouri. After seeing the Bubba’s
Hover video and learning about Neoteric and Founder/President Chris
Fitzgerald, Phil decided he couldn’t do without one. He says, “I live on Lake of the Ozarks and I got the
notion that I could avoid rough water by flying over it.”
Here’s
Phil last September when he came to Neoteric to pick up his hovercraft and undergo flight training ...
But Phil’s
creativity had only just begun. He decided that his hovercraft golf cart had a
strong resemblance to Fred Flintstone’s vehicle, the Flintmobile, which is
called a Canopysaurus …
So Phil
decided to turn his hovercraft into the “Brontocraft”. His nephew, CJ
Patterson, designed the Brontocraft wrap, and here’s what his hovercraft golf
cart looks like today …
Phil is no
novice when it comes to being on water. He explains, “Water skiing was a huge part of my life. I built and owned two
competition water ski lakes in Windsor, Colorado starting in 1989. I competed and
became a world rated official. I ‘retired’ from competitive skiing around 2014
and got a place at Lake of the Ozarks in 2016.”
But being
on water and other surfaces in his hovercraft is truly a novelty. Phil says, “It’s enabling me to have fun and be unique
in a way that other vehicles couldn’t do. I own two other boats and I’ll
use them when the time is right and I will fly the Brontocraft when I want the
thrill of flying. As an electrical and mechanical engineer, I am
mesmerized by its technology and the design.”
Phil has
also made it his goal to fly his hovercraft in 48 states. He says "I
have friends and family in almost every state and the thrill of going places is
unbearable!"
Here’s a map of the
states he’s flown in so far …
Check back often because there's lots more to come about Phil's hovercraft ventures across the United States!
Don’t
miss out on seeing Phil and his Hovercraft Golf Cart on television! Be sure to
watch the premiere episode of Big Kenny’s
Crank It Up Garage on Circle TV this Thursday. If you aren’t familiar with
Circle TV, see how to access it here.
Oak Island
Water Rescue has acquired a hovercraft specially designed for use by emergency
responders.
The
department is now among the few in the Southeast with such a tool. Made by Neoteric
Hovercraft, Inc. of Terre Haute, Indiana, the craft weighs a mere 480 pounds
but can lift a payload of 800 pounds, said Tony Young, Water Rescue Chief.
Responders hope it will be of service when someone gets in trouble in the
area’s numerous marshes. In the past, responders have struggled to reach
stranded kayakers using a jon boat. In one instance, it took the Brunswick
County Sheriff’s Office airboat to get to victims grounded on the mud flats and
surrounded by beds of sharp-shelled oysters.
“The
beauty of this is that you can go from the marsh to the beach,” Young said.
“It’s the next best thing to having a helicopter.”
The
hovercraft uses one-third of its power to lift the craft; the rest provides
thrust. Powered by a German-made two-stroke motor designed for small airplanes,
the hovercraft has only 65-horsepower but can go as fast as 60 mph under ideal
conditions, such as on ice.
“What
makes this unique for rescue is that it has thrust reversers to stop, spin
around or go backwards,” Young said.
The
specialized skirts around the edges of the hovercraft hold it on a cushion of
air. The skirts must be maintained and kept clean to work at their best.
It takes
at least 30 hours of training to learn to pilot the hovercraft. Simple actions,
such as leaning too far one way or sticking an arm out while under power can
affect the sensitive steering. “It’s tricky,” Young said. “It’s not like
driving a boat. We’re taking bets on who puts the first scratch on it.”
Young said
an anonymous donor contributed the $60,000 needed for the hovercraft. The same
donor also made a substantial contribution toward repairing the station from
the damage caused by Hurricane Isaias last August.
Work on
the station has slowed and Water Rescue is discussing the possibility of adding
a second floor for offices and using the downstairs portion as a garage and
workshop. Members expect to have a contractor on the job by next month.
With the
support from the community, the Town of Oak Island and Brunswick Electric
Membership Corp. the team was also able to replace an aging surf boat with a
newer, slightly larger model with a tougher aluminum hull.
The storm
took a toll on the station, but members said they’re building back better than
ever, with a lot of help from donors.
“The
community really came together to support us,” said team member Melissa Wilson.
“The storm was a blessing in disguise.”
