Neoteric Hovercraft Rescues Texas Flood Victims

A rash of tornadoes and thunderstorms battered Texas and Arkansas last Sunday, leaving a path of destruction that caused five deaths and dozens of injuries.

Mansfield, Texas was one of many communities where torrential rains led to widespread flash flooding. Fortunately, the Mansfield Fire Department operates a Neoteric rescue hovercraft, which was used to successfully rescue victims whose vehicles were fully submerged in floodwaters …

Hovercraft are extremely effective in flood rescue operations because they can access areas that boats and other rescue vehicles can't reach. Flat bottom Jon boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of little use in shallow water or in flood water; debris and obstructions can not only damage rescue boats, but can pose a serious danger to first responders and to those whose lives they are tasked to save.

As Mansfield’s Captain William Franks says about their hovercraft, shown below, “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.”

Unlike other vehicles, hovercraft fly on a cushion of air 9 inches above the surface, so they simply glide over swift flowing, debris-filled floodwaters. And, unlike other hovercraft, the Neoteric Hovertrek's patented reverse thrust system gives it the unique capability to brake, back up and hover in place - maneuvers that are critical in flood rescues.

First responders, it's easy to experience for yourself how a Neoteric hovercraft can operate in conditions that prohibit the use of rescue boats - keeping you above the danger, not in it ...

Take a Test Flight or Training Course

and

Read what other first responders say about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft ...

Why do first responders prefer hovercraft to rescue boats?

With warmer weather ahead, first responders will soon be occupied with water and flood rescues. Unfortunately, too many fire departments and other rescue agencies are still relying on boats rather than hovercraft for water rescue operations.

Why would they need a hovercraft if they already have rescue boats? Here’s a quick video that helps answer that question. The Napoleon, Ohio Fire Department’s Neoteric hovercraft rescues not only a family stuck in a boat on the Maumee River – they also rescue the first responders whose boats became stuck or damaged in the shallow water!

The river was too shallow for the first rescue boat and it became stuck; the rocks clipped the propellers of the second rescue boat - turning this simple rescue into a three-hour ordeal.

Flat bottom Jon boats and other propeller-driven watercraft are of little use in shallow water or in flood water; debris and obstructions can not only damage rescue boats, but can pose a serious danger to first responders and to those whose lives they are tasked to save.

But don't just take our word for it. Read what just a few of our customers have to say about hovercraft versus rescue boats ...

Norman Township Fire Department, Michigan: "We perform water and ice rescues on the rapidly running, narrow, difficult to access Pine River, with rocks, downed trees and steep banks. We considered purchasing a jet boat, but its problems were quickly apparent when, during the company demo, rocks in the river caused the jet boat to break down."

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."

Mansfield Fire Department, Texas: "The benefit of having these hovercraft is we do not have to send our personnel into the water to retrieve victims. They're also able to hover over logs, car tires and any other debris, unlike boats, that could be a hazard in the water."

Roswell Fire Department, Georgia: "On low water, our aluminum boat can only go so far. With the hovercraft, we can travel over rocks, shallow water, sandbars."

Snohomish County Fire District 19, Washington: "At the bridge collapse, there was a lot of debris in the water. Boats weren't able to get into the wreckage, but we were able to hover back and forth through the debris and search for victims. We don't have to worry about what's underneath us."

First responders, come experience for yourself how a hovercraft can operate in conditions that prohibit the use of rescue boats - keeping you above the danger, not in it ...

Take a Test Flight or Training Course 

and

Learn more about Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft

Recreational Hovercraft Pilot Training: Michael Meissner

Michael Meissner of Glendive, Montana USA recently earned his Class 3 Standard hovercraft pilot certification at Hovercraft Training Centers’ headquarters. After purchasing a used Neoteric hovercraft from a previous owner, he learned to operate it on his own but, once he began the training course, he says he quickly realized the necessity of proper training – especially the classroom portion of the course.

“I’ve always been a technical person and could not go anywhere without the proper theoretical background training,” he says.

Michael Meissner (right) and instructor Chris Fitzgerald are ready for takeoff
on the Wabash River as Michael's flight training begins.

With a long career as an aviation electronics technician in the U.S. Navy and as an analyst for a systems engineering firm affiliated with Navy and Marine Corps aircraft programs, Michael is no stranger to flight … but flying eight inches above the ground is a new experience for him.

“Hovercraft are the ideal recreational watercraft, especially for fishing and nature cruising,” Michael says. He lives near Yellowstone National Park, an area with plentiful rivers and lakes – “the perfect location for hovercraft.” Glendive is located on the Yellowstone River near the North Dakota border, and is known as the Paddlefish and Yellowstone Caviar Capital of the World, attracting more than 3,000 anglers every year.

Michael was surprised to learn that no one in his area owns a hovercraft; he’s proud to be the first and hopes to spread the ‘hover spirit’ in his community. 

Michael Meissner (right) receives his Class 3 Standard hovercraft pilot certification from instructor Chris Fitzgerald (left).

 

See the photo gallery of Michael’s hands-on hovercraft pilot training …

Roswell, Georgia buys rescue hovercraft with Homeland Security Grant

Once first responders experience the extraordinary capabilities of a Neoteric hovercraft, no other water or ice rescue vehicle will do - just ask the Roswell, Georgia Fire Department.

In March, Neoteric Training Pilot Steve Stafford demonstrated a Neoteric rescue hovercraft to Roswell officials. Fire Chief Ricky Spencer says, “At first I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Then when I saw what the Neoteric craft can do, I said, how soon can I get one? And after we saw Neoteric's reverse thrust, all other hovercraft were out of the question.”

Jeremy Adams of Roswell Fire Department's Logistics Division first suggested a Neoteric craft to the department. "We considered various rescue boats as well as airboats. But airboats are just not as maneuverable as hovercraft."

According to Chief Spencer, "There are 13 miles of the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, with lots of shallow areas. Rescue boats just didn't meet our needs."

Roswell's hovercraft cost the city only $9,995.33, thanks to a Homeland Security Grant it received. "It's a purchase well worth it," says Chief Spencer, "since the department will now have no issues navigating the river during rescue operations."

On June 1, Spencer and Adams traveled to Neoteric's headquarters to undergo pilot training in their new 6-passenger rescue HoverTrek ...

Left to right: Neoteric Training Pilot Steve Stafford; Roswell Fire Chief Ricky Spencer;

 Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald; Roswell Logistics Officer Jeremy Adams.

In the video below, Neoteric Training Pilot Steve Stafford and Chief Spencer launch the Roswell craft on the swollen Wabash River in Terre Haute, Indiana for an afternoon of pilot training:

Read media coverage of the Roswell Fire Department hovercraft