LAST CHANCE! See a Rescue Hovercraft in Flight at #FDIC International

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 you above the danger – not in it - so that you can save lives safely.

Learn more about Neoteric Hovercraft ...

#FDIC 2021 Features a Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in action

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 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."

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.

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

How do airboats compare to hovercraft?

Unlike airboats, hovercraft are flying machines that travel above the surface on a bubble of air so they don’t create a wake on water. Airboats are flat-bottomed boats with a large propeller and their entire weight rests on the surface, creating a wake.  Airboats usually require a boat dock for launching; hovercraft do not.

Airboats are limited to relatively smooth water because their hulls have low gunwales which can be easily swamped. Airboats have minimum positive flotation, where hovercraft have quite a lot - up to 1 1/2 times their weight. This enables hovercraft to operate safely on swiftwater. Here, first responders from the U.S. Air Force practice swift water rescue techniques in a Neoteric hovercraft …

The airboat’s tall propeller also limits its use in areas with overhead obstructions, which are often found in flood rescue operations. An airboat’s propeller usually runs close to the speed of sound and generates far more noise than a hovercraft. Airboats can consume up to three times more energy than hovercraft, so they use more fuel.

Hovercraft are safer than airboats in ice rescue operations. As stated in a news article about a dive team preparing for ice rescues, “Emergency personnel practiced rescuing victims who have fallen through ice by getting as close as they can with airboats - too close and the boat will push the ice and crush the victim - and then, with insulated, waterproof suits on and an attached rope, swimming out and bringing the victim back." 

Hovercraft can fly on top of thin or broken ice while airboats cannot, and hovercraft often break the ice into small pieces that are of no danger to the victim. Hovercraft can also approach the victim directly, keeping rescuers out of the water. And the airboat's high center of gravity makes them prone to flipping over. 

An example of an airboat's tall propeller and high center of gravity.

Hovercraft are much more maneuverable than airboats, particularly Neoteric craft whose patented reverse thrust system allows them to brake and otherwise outmaneuver every other hovercraft on the market. Reverse thrust is essential for hovering on ice and swiftwater. Airboat control comes from propeller thrust and airflow across its rudders, so it takes full power to achieve real control. In contrast, a hovercraft with reverse thrust is more easily controlled, no matter how much power is applied.Operating an airboat at full power is a bit like running a bucking bronco! But flying a hovercraft with reverse thrust, even at full power, is nothing like fighting a monster - it's more like dancing with a ballerina.

Finally, as one first responder said after a Neoteric hovercraft water rescue, "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."

Learn more about Neoteric hovercraft ...

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 ...

First Responders: Don’t miss Neoteric Hovercraft at FDIC 2017 - Booth #2704

The FDIC (Fire Department Instructor Conference) is the world’s largest firefighter conference and expo, attended by more than 35,000 firefighters, chiefs and instructors from more than 53 nations.

Neoteric and HovercraftTraining Centers are honored to be the only rescue hovercraft and flight training exhibitor featured at the FDIC this year. The event takes place April 24-29 at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

If your department still relies on ropes, boats and other apparatus for water, ice and mud rescues, you’ll definitely want to visit us at Booth #2704 to watch videos of hovercraft rescue operations, see a remote-controlled hovercraft in action, let us answer all your questions – and register to win one of three free Hovercraft Pilot Training Courses, valued at $1,575 each!    

The Neoteric Hovercraft booth at last year's FDIC.

Flat bottom Jon boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of questionable use in shallow water, swiftwater, flood, ice and mud rescues, and can pose a serious danger to you and to the lives you’re tasked to save. Come see how a Neoteric rescue hovercraft can greatly improve the safety, ease, speed and success of your rescue operations … while keeping you above the danger – not in it. It quickly flies you into areas where no other vehicle can go, and it’s the only hovercraft with the ability to brake and back up.

But don’t just take our word for it. See what first responders around the world say about their Neoteric Hovercraft in comparison to other rescue vehicles …

Council Bluffs Fire Department, Iowa:

Mansfield Fire Department, Texas:

"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 the water. A hovercraft is the answer to a faster rescue - a safer rescue."

Davis County Sheriff's Office, Utah:

"Our hovercraft, without question, has saved lives. Much of our county is covered by the Great Salt Lake, and when the water is low it leaves miles of mudflats boats can't reach. We can't get airboats out there. When it's extremely windy it's hard to get an aircraft or helicopter out there, and even walking out is impossible. We were putting rescuers in harm's way, but the hovercraft allows us to hover over mud, ice or water and get right to the patient - to literally reach out our hand and pull them out."

Central Fraser Valley Search & Rescue Society, Canada:

"The 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."

North Muskegon Fire Department, Michigan:

"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."

Learn much more - and see how you can save lives more safely than ever before - 

at Neoteric's Booth 2704 at this year’s FDIC.

Neoteric is the original and most experienced light hovercraft manufacturer, relied on by

first responders in 50+ countries for more than four decades. Read more …

Hovercraft Training Center is the world’s premier hovercraft flight training academy. 

Read more …