VIDEO: Hovercraft ride on an icy river

From ice fishing to ice rescues to winter recreation, the Neoteric hovercraft is a one-of-a-kind ice vehicle. Ride along with Neoteric president Chris Fitzgerald on the icy Wabash River and see why ice is no obstacle for a HoverTrek™ ...

Watch more videos of hovercraft on ice ...

Hovercraft: The essential vehicle for ice rescue operations

Video: Neoteric hovercraft practice ice rescue operations

Fire department's Neoteric hovercraft has saved more than 255 people

Neoteric hovercraft rescues three helpless deer stranded on ice

VIDEO: Neoteric hovercraft practice ice rescue operations

Yesterday Filip Przybysz, Neoteric’s Vice President of Marketing, fell through the ice on a frozen lake – on purpose!

Filip took on the role of victim during an ice rescue practice Saturday for the Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Departments and their Neoteric rescue hovercraft. The practice was organized and conducted by HTC Flight Instructor, Steve Stafford, who is also Neoteric's Law Enforcement Liaison and is the founder of Project H.E.R.O. (Hovercraft Emergency Response Operations).

Appreciation also goes to property owner David Vanderbeck, to Dan Bush, who provided the 4-wheeler, and to Rodney Helderman who filmed drone footage of the exercises. 

Watch the news video below and see one of the many ways Neoteric and Hovercraft Training Centers serve customers long after the sale (and check back in soon to see the drone video) ...

TRANSCRIPT:

When the winter months roll around, we all know being out on the water or ice can be very dangerous, even deadly, in fact and public safety officials were out on the water today practicing for an ice rescue. Reporter Lauren Minor joined them to see what happens during one of these emergencies …

“The moment you actually fall in, you get in such a temperature shock,” says Director of Marketing and Sales at Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc., Filip Przybysz.

It can happen in a matter of seconds. You’re walking along and the ice breaks.

Filip Przybysz played the victim in Saturday’s demonstration of an ice rescue. Even though it was all for practice, he got to experience what it is like when falling into cold water: “As soon as you get out, I think your body heats up so fast, that’s when I was laying on the stretcher, I was shaking a little bit, but then I was told I was actually feeling warm.”

Rescuers say the most important thing is to keep moving so your body doesn’t stiffen up.

“I was actually okay, and the rescuers told me it was actually a fake perception because you wouldn’t go into hypothermia without knowing that,” said Przybysz

If you’re ever out on the ice, ice picks are a good thing to keep with you; that way if you do fall in, you can use the picks to pull yourself out.

"I equate it to like shooting a basketball, if you only shoot ten shots a month that's all the better you will ever be. So you have to practice with it to become proficient with it," says Fire Chief Mike Ellis of the White River Hazleton Fire Department.

Hovercraft can play a key role in ice rescue safety: they can get onto the ice and to the victim quickly and safely.

"The adrenaline kicks in and so does the training, and you do what you have been training to do all along," says Steve Stafford from Project H.E.R.O.

Steve Stafford also assisted with the rescue. [As a flight instructor with Hovercraft Training Centers] he travels all over to train with departments who have ice rescuers. "We have been asked to go to Kentucky, Ohio, to assist and basically if we get a hurricane or a request we will do our best to respond there also."

Ice rescuing may not happen too often in southern Indiana, but when it does, they have to be ready.

The hovercraft that were used by the Perry Clear Creek and the White River Township and Hazleton Fire Unit today, were actually created right here in Terre Haute at Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.

First responders: Could a hovercraft help you save lives?

Read more about rescue hovercraft ...

And see for yourself with a Test Flight or Training Course

Hovercraft: The Essential Vehicle for Ice Rescue Operations

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland" is a popular song right now. But that walk - or ride - can quickly turn into a nightmare when you're on thin ice. Statistics show that the most frequent victims in ice rescue operations are animals, children, ice fisherman, skaters, snowmobilers - and first responders. 

In ice rescues, time is of the essence; hypothermia and shock can occur in minutes, immobilizing victims and rescuers alike, and traditional ice rescue techniques simply take too long. Much of the usual ice rescue equipment - inflatable walkways, sleds and ropes - can put first responders in as much danger as the victims they're trying to rescue.

But hovercraft fly above the surface, keeping first responders above the danger and greatly speeding up the rescue process. A hovercraft is the only vehicle that can fly easily over thin or broken ice; other rescue vehicles require solid ice at least 5 inches thick. And the Neoteric HoverTrek™, with its patented reverse thrust system, is the most versatile hovercraft available for ice rescue operations.

Another way hovercraft speed up rescue operations is that victims don't have to be disembarked at the water's edge. As a multi-terrain vehicle, a hovercraft can take victims from water, across land or mud, and directly to a waiting ambulance.

The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department's Neoteric HoverTrek™ soars over broken ice on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. The hovercraft's 9-inch deep air cushion and reverse thrust enables it to safely maneuver over jagged, broken, snow-covered ice floes.

See for yourself how the HoverTrek™ operates on ice - take a ride with Neoteric customer Dirk Lohry as he flies over thin, cracked ice on McCook Lake in South Dakota ...



When CNN reported earlier this year on a Neoteric hovercraft's rescue of three deer from a frozen lake, the news anchors summed it up quite accurately: "Hovercraft are kind of a genius idea here ... if you go out there with a snowmobile, you're in trouble - it doesn't hover; it's just a craft ... Boats and jet skis are pretty useless on ice and snowmobiles fall through ice if it won't hold their weight. Hovercraft can fly over any surface, so they save many lives. If you fall through the ice, or get sucked into mud or quicksand, better hope someone locally has a hovercraft handy!"

First responders: Is a Neoteric hovercraft right for you?

Find out with a Test Flight or Training Course

Hovercraft save lives

First responders worldwide recognize that the hovercraft is the only rescue vehicle able to perform fast, safe rescue operations on swift water, thin or broken ice, flood waters and snow. Because it safely hovers 9 inches above the terrain, a hovercraft keeps the rescue team above the danger – not in it – and gives rescuers access to areas boats and helicopters can't reach.

Read comments from first responders who rely on hovercraft in their rescue operations ...

Have a question about rescue hovercraft? Just post it as a comment.

Hovercraft critical in mud & ice rescue operations

Last weekend, on two separate continents, on two vastly different types of terrain, two rescue agencies exhibited how Neoteric hovercraft can be critical equipment for first responders.

First, in Sweden, at least 10 people fell through the ice last weekend on Vättern, Sweden’s second-largest lake, but no serious injuries were incurred, thanks to the Swedish Sea Rescue Society’s two Neoteric HoverTrek Rescue hovercraft … 

Where other rescue vehicles can only be launched on solid ice 5+ inches thick, hovercraft operate safely on thin or broken ice, making them a vital asset in ice rescue operations.

At the same time, nearly 4,000 miles away, another Neoteric hovercraft was used to rescue six people from a pontoon boat stranded in mud on a New Jersey USA waterway. The boat's owners were taking it out for the first time when it got stuck on a mudflat. Strong winds had blown the tide out to 2 feet below normal low tide and the boat got caught in about 30 feet of mud.

Winds prevented the use of a helicopter in this situation and boats, of course, will not work in mud rescue operations. The Neoteric HoverTrek operated by the Scullville Volunteer Fire Company was the only vehicle able to reach the New Jersey victims …

The HoverTrek is easily launched in minutes on any ice, mud or water conditions, and operates 9 inches above the surface. Not only does this improve response time, it keeps rescuers safely above the danger and allows access to areas that can’t be reached by boat, snowmobile, or even helicopter. Also, hovercraft are less expensive and less dangerous to operate than are helicopters.

With its unique ability to brake, back up and hover in place - crucial in rescue operations - it’s reassuring to know the Neoteric HoverTrek is increasingly employed by rescue agencies across the globe.

Read the news coverage: 

Neoteric Hovercraft mud rescue

Neoteric Hovercraft ice rescue

Hovercraft Pilot Training in Sweden

At the invitation of Neoteric’s dealer in Sweden, Ivanoff Hovercraft AB, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald is in Sweden this week to train a team of hovercraft pilot instructors from the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, Svenska Sjöräddnings Sällskapet. The organization utilizes two Neoteric HoverTrek™ Rescue hovercraft …

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society already operates a fleet of rescue hovercraft from Ivanoff Hovercraft. To enable the expansion of their rescue operations into inland lakes and rivers, smaller craft such as the HoverTrek™ provide more versatility.

The rescue hovercraft pilot training will consist primarily of open water training, with additional ice rescue and swift water rescue training depending upon the existing level of trainee experience.

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

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society plays a crucial role in sea rescue around the Swedish coast and is responsible for 70% of all sea rescues in Sweden. The Society has 160 vessels ready for use at all times by 1,700 volunteer crew members. The Society celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2007.