08 April, 2013

Hovercraft depicted in viral video made in Indiana

ABC-TV, WRTV6
By Chance Walser



TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Usually golfers have the choice to walk or ride in a cart, but thanks to an Indiana company, they could soon have the option to hover.
"Once you get the air underneath it lifts up and it floats on a cushion of air and it hovers," said Chris Fitzgerald, president of Neoteric Hovercraft in Terre Haute, Ind.

The hovercraft golf cart video on YouTube, [Bubba's Hover] has seen millions of hits. Now Fitzgerald's company is trying to keep up with demand.

Neoteric markets their machines to rescue teams, the military, and now golfers who have about $50,000 to spend. The molding, sanding, buffing and assembly for one craft takes hundreds of hours.
Since the YouTube video launched, Neoteric has been flooded with inquiries and expects to start filling orders soon.

"The absolutely fantastic thing … is that it is spreading the word that this technology exists and look it can be used for doing lots of different things," Fitzgerald said.

But he said as far as the hovercraft replacing the four-wheeled golf cart, it won't happen soon, if at all.
"This is a flying machine and it really requires training," he said. "You know, you jump in a golf cart and most people can just get in and drive, but this is not like that at all."

The company requires a minimum 12 hours of training before anyone can hover off with their product.

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Note: The video Bubba's Hover was produced by Thinkmodo, a New York City viral video agency. Founded by former Saturday Night Live producer James Percelay and social media maven Michael Krivicka, Thinkmodo is the mastermind behind campaigns such as the Times Square Hack for Limitless and the flying people campaign for Chronicle. Their recent video for Popcorn Indiana's Popinator has surpassed two million views on YouTube. Bubba's Hover is Thinkmodo's most successful campaign to date.


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