Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft set to fly at FDIC International

Neoteric is ready to go! Are you ready to join us tomorrow at FDIC Outdoor Booth 19403 to see the most versatile rescue apparatus available? Come watch a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action and see why it’s the safest, quickest way to rescue water, swift water, ice, mud and flood victims.

Here are three Neoteric Hovercraft leaving our manufacturing facility this morning in Terre Haute, Indiana on their way to the 2022 FDIC International in Indianapolis …

And here’s a closer look at the newest Neoteric model, the Hovertrek II, powered exclusively by the Briggs & Stratton Vanguard BIG BLOCK 40.0 Gross HP EFI marine engine. The new engine delivers significant fuel savings, higher horsepower and less noise and vibration, without adding extra weight. You can be one of the first to closely examine the new Neoteric Hovertrek II tomorrow through Saturday at the FDIC …

You’ll also have a chance to meet some fire departments who rely on Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft. On Thursday, firefighters from Michigan’s North Muskegon Fire Department will join us. North Muskegon has relied on Neoteric Hovercraft for nearly four decades, and says “Our hovercraft have saved more lives that all our fire engines combined. Since 1985, more than 255 people have been rescued from Muskegon area lakes using the hovercraft. More than half of them would have drowned not having the hovercraft as a safe rescue tool."

North Muskegon Fire Department's Neoteric Hovercraft

Then on Saturday, come meet firefighters from Indiana’s Brownstown Fire Department. Here, the department shows how easily their Neoteric Hovercraft flies from water to land …

And here we are this evening at our FDIC Outdoor Booth 19403, ready to welcome you tomorrow and answer all your questions about rescue hovercraft …

In his inspiring speech today at the FDIC International Opening Ceremony, FDIC Education Director Bobby Halton said, “We are living in very serious times; some say we are going through hard times. Amid these hard times, there is a robust and spirited tactical debate happening in the fire service. It surrounds the needs of victims, their rescue, firefighter safety, and operations.”

 We hope you’ll visit us at the FDIC to see that this is exactly what Neoteric Hovercraft are all about: increasing firefighter and victim safety and improving rescue operations.

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

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 ...

Neoteric Hovercraft helps Poland celebrate National Rescuers Day

June 29 is National Rescuers Day in Poland. What perfect timing that WOPR christened and launched their new Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in Szczecin, Poland right before National Rescuers Day. Their hovercraft was purchased from Neoteric’s dealer in Poland, Tecnotek Polska, and has been named "Lifeguard 200." It is the first rescue hovercraft in Szczecin and in the region.

WOPR is an acronym for Wodne Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe, which translates to “water rescue teams and lifeguards” in English. An important nationwide organization that specializes in water rescue operations, WOPR is a member of the International Lifesaving Federation.

As always, any Neoteric Hovercraft is a media magnet, and the WOPR hovercraft is no exception - its launch attracted heavy media coverage. Here’s just one example ...

The gathering of rescuers told the media, “This Neoteric hovercraft is one of the modern rescue vehicles on the Polish market. It rises to 30 cm from the surface and is able to move on both land and water. This machine can save people under the most difficult weather conditions that prevent the use of a helicopter.”

WOPR's Jason Kleczaj said, "Regardless of the weather, our new 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."

Miroslaw Gosieniecki, Vice President of Szczecin WOPR, added, "It will allow us to save people even in winter, when water reservoirs are on ice or floe. Until now, our rescuers did not have equipment that would enable them to act in such circumstances."

A mock rescue was performed at the event in order to exhibit
the exceptional amphibious maneuverability of the Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft.

"This is the first unit of this class in Szczecin," said Mayor Piotr Krzystek. "It will be used not only in summer but mainly in winter, when access to water in traditional ways is impossible, and accidents happen even so."

In closing, he added, "We have to take care of safety on the water, because it is after all, a big part of our city. I wish you well use of your equipment and that your help always arrives in time."

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

Hovercraft at play

Whether you spend your leisure time on land, water, ice, snow or sand, a hovercraft is the only vehicle that will fly you across any terrain in any season.

Neoteric customer Dave Reyburn cruises Florida's Suwannee River ...

Here, a Neoteric Hovertrek glides over tall grass on a tidal estuary ...

Neoteric customer Aki Kaisla flies across thin ice and water in his Hovertrek to explore the frozen Sea of Finland ...

 

Check out a photo gallery of personal hovercraft owners worldwide using their craft for recreational activities ranging from shooting the rapids to ice fishing, fly fishing, beach cruising and more.

Have a question about leisure hovercraft? Just leave a comment!

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Hovercraft Pilot Training: Fire District 19, Silvana, Washington USA

Emergency responders from Fire District 19 in Silvana, Washington, spent a cold March weekend at Neoteric Hovercraft to complete the Neoteric Hovercraft Pilot Training Program.

Upon their arrival at the Wabash River training site on Saturday, instructor Chris Fitzgerald illustrates to Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Swearengin (left) and firefighter/EMT Trent Nunemaker (right), the ease of unloading the Neoteric training HoverTrek from its trailer ...

After a thorough review of the HoverTrek's operational systems and a quick skirt repair, Fitzgerald and Swearengin launch the hovercraft in below-freezing air temperature on the swift flowing river ... 

 

After Swearengin (left) and Nunemaker (right) received classroom instruction and extensive flight training on both land and water, they receive their Class III Hovercraft Pilot Certificates from Fitzgerald ...

Swearengin and Nunemaker both serve on the Stillagaumish Water Rescue Team, an interagency cooperative effort that includes their Fire District 19 in Silvana along with Districts 21 in Arlington Heights, 24 in Darrington and 25 in Oso. The Stillaguamish Water Rescue Team has a number of nationally certified water rescue technicians, two hovercraft, two inflatable craft, and thousands of dollars in water rescue equipment to respond to calls for help on the regional river systems and lakes.

Neoteric Hovercraft has trained and certified rescue, recreational, commercial and military hovercraft pilots from across the world for more than 30 years. Neoteric’s Hovercraft Pilot Training Program is the most comprehensive light hovercraft pilot training course available.