| Previous | Company History | Next |
2010-2019: 6th Decade
In its research and development of alternative hovercraft power plants, Neoteric canceled its 3-year evaluation of the Rotamax Rotary engine. Research and development continues on 3-cylinder Yamaha 4-cycle powered machinery module.
Chris Fitzgerald conducts rescue hovercraft pilot training for the Crosslake Fire & Rescue Department, Crosslake, Minnesota USA. The department purchased their Neoteric Rescue Hovertrek™™ after receiving an anonymous $23,000 donation.
Neoteric President Fitzgerald travels to Sweden to conduct a week-long training course for a team of hovercraft pilot instructors from the Swedish Sea Rescue Society, Svenska Sjöräddnings Sällskapet. The organization utilizes two Neoteric Hovertrek™ Rescue hovercraft. Read more …
|  |
||||
| Pilots from Swedish Sea Rescue receive training from neoteric. | Decal markings for the Swedish Sea Rescue Craft. In the background is the fully enclosed trailer designed and developed by the sea Rescue team. | ||||
Neoteric learns that Keltic Marine Group, Nova Scotia, and Hi Tech International S.r.l. in Italy, operating as “HTI America”, have joined forces to market in North America the hovercraft that HTI counterfeited from the patented Neoteric Hovertrek™ through economic/industrial espionage. Neoteric continues its legal actions in coordination with national and international agencies to halt HTI’s unlawful activities.
Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald traveled to Australia to visit Ross McLeod of Airlift Hovercraft, and Gary Ashton of Mariah Hovercraft, two manufacturers who are building hovercraft for the South Korean Coast Guard. Airlift Hovercraft is located in Surface Paradise, Queensland AU; Mariah Hovercraft is located in Hastings, Victoria AU.
In April 2010, Neoteric developed a new gull wing cabin door.
Eight Neoteric hovercraft pilots performed the closing spectacle of the Indian Premier League (IPL3) 2010 Cricket Championship in Mumbai, India - one of the six largest sporting events in the world. Neoteric was chosen because of the stylish design and maneuverability of its Hovertrek™, the only hovercraft on the market able to pirouette, travel sideways and in reverse, and hover in place to perform a choreographed routine – and hovercraft are the only vehicle that will not damage a fragile cricket field. Craft were transported from the US by container.
IPL3 hovercraft videos; read Hoverin’ Around the World and read the inside story From Indiana to India.
 | |||||
| A team of 6 Neoteric pilots travelled to Mumbai with 8 Neoteric Hovercraft to perform a choreographed performance on India’s Premier Cricket ground. India’s leading actress rode around the grounds before climbing from the Hovercraft to make formal presentations to the winning team members. | |||||
Fitzgerald conducts hovercraft pilot training for the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy, home of the oldest duck hunting club in America. The Conservancy preserves a 5,500-acre marsh and maintains a wildlife habitat on the shores of Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay in Point Clinton, Ohio USA. Read more…
Neoteric serves Hi Tech International S.r.l. with a Cease and Desist Order. The Order requires that a) HTI remove from its websites the material it plagiarized from the Neoteric website; b) HTI remove Neoteric’s trademarked business name from the meta tags on their websites; and c) HTI cease the manufacture and sale of hovercraft illegally pirated from Neoteric through economic/industrial espionage and theft of trade secrets by Matteo Passoni/HTI.
Neoteric serves Keltic Marine Group with a Cease and Desist Order. The Order requires that a) Keltic Marine remove from its website the technical diagrams HTI plagiarized from the Neoteric website; b) Keltic remove all false and misleading statements from its website; and c) Keltic, operating as “HTI America”, cease the manufacture and sale of hovercraft illegally pirated from Neoteric through economic/industrial espionage and theft of trade secrets by Matteo Passoni/HTI.
After HTI ignores Neoteric’s Cease and Desist Order, Neoteric files a DMCA Complaint against HTIwith all major global search engines for its repeated violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Google immediately finds that more than 700 URLs on the HTI website violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and unlawfully infringe upon copyrighted/trademarked material from the Neoteric website. Google immediately bans each of those pages from its search index.
Keltic Marine Group complies with Neoteric’s Cease & Desist Order by removing from its website the copyrighted illustrations plagiarized from Neoteric’s website, and removing the false statement that HTI has been manufacturing hovercraft since 1995. However, Keltic continues to operate as “HTI America”, manufacturing/marketing hovercraft that were illegally counterfeited from Neoteric through economic/industrial espionage and theft of trade secrets committed by Matteo Passoni/HTI.
Neoteric continues to work with the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI and other national/international governmental and private agencies to protect its intellectual property and trademarked products from espionage committed by Hi Tech International S.r.l.
Neoteric was honored by a visit from John Talmage, the company’s very first customer, and his wife Carol, who were instrumental in the launch of Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. in the 1970s. Talmage, a pilot and farmer in Long Island, New York, built his own hovercraft in 1965. In 1976, he financed the first hovercraft produced by the newly-founded Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.
 |  |
||||
| The Neova 2, the first hovercraft manufactured by Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. Craft is parked outside the Talmage aircraft hangar door. | Fitzgerald operating Talmage’s craft around 1980? This is the craft Talmage built in 1965. The unit is powered by McCulloch 4-cylinder 2 cycle engines. | ||||
Neoteric completed an upgrade to its manufacturing facilities, including the addition of a flexible storage building as well as refinishing the loading dock and all outside storage containers.
Neoteric President is invited to South Korea and China to demonstrate the Neoteric Rescue Hovertrek™ to military officials and rescue agencies. On 23 November, as a demonstration to the South Korean Navy was about to begin, North Korea launched an attack upon South Korea 25-50 miles from the demonstration site. Navy officials were recalled to their bases and the military demonstration which involved the Hovercraft was postponed.
 |  |
||||
| Fitzgerald with South Korean military officials just prior to the attack by North Korea on the 23rd Nov 2010. | Fitzgerald describes Neoteric's unique reverse thrust system to the Xiamen, China Fire Department officials. | ||||
See the complete photo gallery: Neoteric Hovercraft in China and South Korea
Keltic Marine Group (see 8 March 2010 above) informs Neoteric that Keltic has severed all business relations with Hi Tech International S.r.l. and Matteo Passoni “due to very questionable business activities including evidence of counterfeiting and forgery in his business dealings”, including but not limited to:
- “behavior unbecoming an Officer and Director of the Company”
- “refusal to meet financial obligations and ethical responsibilities”
- “continuing inflow of evidence of inappropriate business activities”
- “most distasteful business dealings”
- “Trying to open false E-bay accounts in the company name … is certainly not indicative of someone who is legitimate”
The popularity of the Hovertrek™ continued in 2011, during which Neoteric custom manufactured rescue, recreational, commercial and military hovercraft for clients in the following nations:
|
|
For more than five decades, Neoteric has been globally recognized for innovation in technology and artistry in design; the Hovertrek™ is the most thoroughly tested light hovercraft on the market. This meticulous evaluation was amplified during 2011 and included classified Wind Tunnel testing in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SAMME). The RMIT Wind Tunnel is used to advance the development of new vehicles for such manufacturers as Audi, Bentley, BMW and Rolls-Royce. This wind tunnel aerodynamics modeling is paving the way for a technological leap forward: a futuristic limited-edition Neoteric hovercraft, Model 6153, that is intended to break world speed records and capture global headlines.
 |
|||||
| Photo taken inside of the RMIT wind tunnel that was used to test Neoteric's high speed Jupe skirted Hovercraft. Team of researchers is shown nestled around the wind tunnel model. | |||||
Rob Wilson, President, Neoteric Engineering Affiliates, Pty. Ltd. (left rear) and David Atkins, Design Engineer, Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. (right rear), appear with School of Aerospace research personnel and a 1/3 scale model of the Neoteric High-Speed Hovercraft inside the RMIT industrial wind tunnel test section.
In 2011, the company's dedication to constant improvement applied not only to Neoteric products and designs but to procedures, systems, marketing materials and vendor products as well:
- Chad Steimel, Vice President, Engineering, refined AutoCAD drawings, organized manufacturing data, and upgraded the company’s hovercraft operations instruction manuals.
- Ryan Dagey, Information Technology Director, advanced Neoteric’s web-based manufacturing system "NeoNet" and developed programming for both existing and future web sites, including a new site for the Neoteric Hovercraft Pilot Training program.
- In 2011 Neoteric neared completion of a major project: the digitizing of an extensive collection of hovercraft history, which includes documents, films, videos and slides. During 2012, as time permits, the collection will be added to the Neoteric web site's comprehensive History of the Hovercraft.
International, national, regional and local media covered the activities of Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. as well as the accomplishments of its clients, particularly those involving rescue operations: Neoteric Hovercraft in the News
Neoteric contracted with an Indianapolis agency to produce a new logo and web site for the company's Hovercraft Pilot Training program. The finished products, however, did not meet the company's high standards. Similar difficulties were previously experienced with another Indianapolis agency who was commissioned to upgrade the current Neoteric web site; the agency's design was deemed to pose a risk to Neoteric's excellent search engine rankings.
Emergency responders from Fire District 19 and the Stillaguamish Water Rescue Team in Silvana, Washington USA complete rescue hovercraft pilot training at Neoteric.
 |
|||||
| Members of the Stillaguamish Water Rescue team attend Pilot and maintenance training in Terre Haute, Indiana. | |||||
Neoteric Military HoverTrek™ LCAC Trainer was introduced was introduced to U.S. and South Korean Generals during a joint military exercise in South Korea. See video and photos of this military hovercraft which is engineered as a training apparatus for LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) pilots and navigators.
 |
|||||
| A Team of US Army officials inspect Neoterics 6 passenger Military Model during a military exercise in South Korea. | |||||
Filip Przybysz, Vice President, Marketing, joined the company to develop new marketing directions and to oversee the expansion of the Neoteric Hovercraft Pilot Training program and web site
Rescue personnel from the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill Air Force Base completed a week of specialized military hovercraft pilot training at Neoteric, including night rescue operations. Prior to the Air Force purchase of two Neoteric hovercraft, emergency response times could take more than three hours, but their hovercraft now allow them to reach victims in minutes.
 |
 |
|||
| Training members of the US Air force Fire Rescue from Utah. | US Air force Fire Rescue personnel being trained in night-time operations on the Wabash River in Terre Haute. | |||
The Roswell Fire Department, Roswell, Georgia USA completes pilot training in their new Neoteric 6-passenger rescue hovercraft, which was purchased with a Homeland Security Grant. Fire Chief Ricky Spencer states, "There are 13 miles of the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, with lots of shallow areas. Rescue boats just didn't meet our needs." Full story with hovercraft video and photos …
 |
|||||
| Roswells new machine being tested on the flooded Wabash River prior to shipping. | |||||
Engineers, mechanics and marketing personnel from Freeway Technologies Co. Ltd., Xiamen, China, a week hovercraft flight training and maintenance instruction at Neoteric's USA headquarters. Freeway, Neoteric's distributor in China, specializes in the design, manufacture and international trade of aviation and rescue equipment.
 |
 |
|||
| Training the chief pilot for Freeway in Xiamen, China. | Training Freeway Technologies ( Xiamen) Co. Ltd’s Team on assembly, maintenance and piloting were covered during training. | |||
See a photo gallery of Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald's previous visit to Xiamen, China to train Freeway Technologies' hovercraft mechanics.
 | |||||
| Training Xiamen Freeway team in problem solving during night time operations. | |||||
Officials from the Government of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, and China Pacific Marine, Ltd. visited Neoteric to conduct stringent performance testing on the Fire Department's newly manufactured 6-passenger rescue hovercraft prior to its shipment to China. Neoteric met and surpassed the specific governmental standards. China Pacific Marine, Neoteric's Hong Kong agent, has been a provider of marine products to both government and the private sector for more than four decades.
 |
 |
|||
| Owner and president of China Pacific Marine Ltd , Lawrence Chow, Fitzgerald and members of the Hong Kong Marine and Ship Standards Bureau who inspected their new craft and undertook performance trials. The craft had to cruise at 35 mph with 4 persons aboard. | Hong Kong Fire Rescue craft performing speed trials on the Wabash river. | |||
Firefighters from the White River-Hazleton Volunteer Fire Department, Hazleton, Indiana USA complete rescue hovercraft pilot training at Neoteric's headquarters in their new 6-passenger rescue hovercraft. Read the full story with rescue hovercraft videos and photos …
 |
|||||
| Hazleton Fire Chief Mike Ellis and other members of the Hazleton team during pilot and maintenance training in Terre Haute. | |||||
The U.S. Department of the Interior credits a Neoteric hovercraft for 17 different water rescue operations in one week on Wisconsin's St. Croix River that brought 98 people to safety. The hovercraft is owned and operated by the St. Croix Tribal Police. Full story with hovercraft photos and news coverage …
 |
|||||
| Colorful decals of the St’Croix Tribal Police Hovercraft that has performed numerous rescues. | |||||
WealthTV, the exclusive cable television network, selected the Neoteric Hovertrek™ to be featured on its popular program Boys Toys. The show's host, TV host/actress/model Jenn Barlow, brought a crew to Neoteric's headquarters to film the Boys Toys episode, which will air in early 2012.
 |
; |
|||
| Fitzgerald, Boy’s touys host model Jenn Barlow, Stafford and two members of Jenns film crew. Shots were taken on a large sand bar on the Wabash River in Terre Haute. | During filming on the sandbar, one shit showed the Hovercraft crossing a nest of chicken eggs without harm. | |||
President Fitzgerald in October traveled to the Dominican Republic to consult with a client on the establishment of a tourism business and to conduct on-site specialized commercial hovercraft pilot training on the beach where the Atlantic Ocean swell arrives. The client subsequently launched a new venture offering hovercraft passenger tours along the shoreline of Punta Cana in his new 100 hp 6-passenger Hovertrek™.
 |
 |
|||
| Owner being instructed on craft operation before beginning a passenger joy-riding venture in the Dominican Republic. | Crossing the small surf line which is challenging but possible. Such ventures demand a hig level of piloting competence and experience. | |||
Sebastian and Ghislaine van Berkom of Montreal, Canada complete recreational hovercraft pilot training in their new Neoteric Hovertrek™. Their craft will is for transport to their island property in Canada for when ice prevents the use of most other vehicles. Full story with photos of their hovercraft …
 | |||||
| Sebastian and Ghislaine’s new craft on the boat ramp in Terre Haute during the Van Berkom’s training experience. | |||||
First responders from Perry-Clear Creek Fire Department, Bloomington, Indiana USA complete rescue hovercraft pilot training and maintenance instruction in their new 6-passenger Rescue Hovertrek™. See a photo gallery of their pilot training …
 | |||||
| Perry-Clear Creeks new machine during pilot and maintenance training on the Wabash River in Terre Haute, Indiana. | |||||
Dirk Lohry, a private airplane pilot from McCook Lake, South Dakota USA, completes recreational hovercraft pilot training at Neoteric. Lohry lives on a lake, and the hovercraft he is building from a Neoteric partially-assembled kit will let him navigate the lake over thin and broken ice for the first time. Read Lohry’s advice on piloting a hovercraft …
 | |||||
| Dirk Lohry from South Dakota receives pilot training in Terre Haute. Training craft is parked on the boat ramp on the Wabash River. Lohry decided to tackle the assembly one of Neoteric’s kit. | |||||
Francesco Musorrafiti, Chairman and CEO of EPS Corporation, accompanied by the company's Chief Counsel, its Senior Vice President for Business Development and its Corporate Aircraft Pilot, visited Neoteric to discuss a joint business venture. EPS Corporation's global operations provide services and products to governments, civilian agencies and commercial entities. The company manufactures the EPS M10 100-passenger hovercraft as well as the Slingsby 20-passenger composite diesel powered hovercraft, and is interested in adding Neoteric's light hovercraft range to their product lines.
Again in November, Fitzgerald, accompanied by Neoteric Flight Instructor Captain Steve Stafford, traveled to Hong Kong to conduct six days of challenging hovercraft pilot training and maintenance instruction for the Hong Kong Fire Services Department in their new 6-passenger rescue Hovertrek™. The hovercraft is an essential vehicle, particularly for water rescue operations, in Hong Kong, where rivers, canals, channels, drainage ditches, estuaries and fish farms proliferate. And when flash floods occur unexpectedly.
 |
 |
|||
| Fire Chief looks on while a student receives instruction on Kill Switch Hookup .from instructor Fitzgerald. | Training was conducted in a level controlled drainage channel which presented some unique challenges for a new student. Disaster was avoided when Instructor Fitzgerald happened to notice a 7 foot high inflatable damn across the Channel which was being approached at speed. Fortunately the student managed to pull full reverse at full throttle and the craft stopped within a few feet of a straight drop onto a concrete area across the channel floor. | |||
Leaving Hong Kong, Fitzgerald then traveled to Bangkok, Thailand to conduct pilot training at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple and the Dhammakaya Foundation in their two new 6-passenger Neoteric rescue hovercraft. The Temple monks plan to use the hovercraft for water rescue operations in the current flood crisis – the worst flooding in Thailand in more than 50 years. Pilot training took place on the flooded roadways surrounding the Temple.
 |
 |
|||
| Classroom training to the Monks from the Temple.One of the students was an experience Aircraft pilot. | Training on what was normally a roadway next to their huge Temples. These conditions present many most unusual training conditions including the opportunity to hover over a canal bridge that was cut off to general use by the flood waters. | |||
Neoteric President Fitzgerald traveled to Bubiyan Island, Kuwait to conduct five days of pilot and maintenance training for Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. personnel. Hyundai E&C is using a Neoteric six-passenger Hovertrek™ in the construction of the controversial Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port on the Khor Abdullah waterway, a project that has raised tensions with Iraq. Full story/photo gallery …
 |  |
 |
|||
| Training in what would appear to be perfect conditions for Hovercraft however wind and sandstorms often reduced visibility. | Perfectly flat terrain for Hovercraft operation but extremely sticky which constantly pulled the craft off cushion. Craft could only operate with the constant use of reverse thrust. As soon as the moisture content of the sand changed as the tide changed the surface became perfect for Hovercraft operations. | Classroom sessions on Bubiyan island in the facilities well equipped facility. | |||
First responders from the Norman Township Fire Department, Wellston, Michigan USA complete rescue hovercraft pilot training in their new Neoteric rescue hovercraft, which was funded by a government grant. One asset of the hovercraft will be to replace “ice rescues done the old fashioned way: with rope and ice rescue suits,” the officers state. Full story with photos of their rescue hovercraft …
 |
|||||
| Training Norman Township Fire Department personnel how to operate there new Rescue Hovercraft. Wabash Rive, Terre Haute. | |||||
In preparation for the flood season in Bengbu, China, two Neoteric hovercraft demonstrate rescue operations on the Huaihe River. The craft, built from Neoteric Kits before the year 2000 by the now defunct Feida Hovercraft Co. in Bengbu, China, are operated by former Feida personnel. Several hovercraft assembled by Feida from Neoteric kits are still operating in Xuzhou City in Jiangsu Province, China, where former Feida employees still support their products through maintenance and continued pilot training.
 |
|||||
| Two craft that were built from kits shipped to Bengbu, China shown while practicing in preparation for the approaching flood season. | |||||
Neoteric Hovercraft is featured in an episode of Boys Toys on Wealth TV, hosted by Emmy-nominated Jenn Barlow. The show’s promo says, “This one-of-a-kind amphibious vehicle will have you re-evaluating your definition of the word ‘cool’!”Watch the video here ...
 |
|||||
| Jenn Barlow while visiting the neoteric factory. Jenn’s film crew spent a day at Neoteric and made an interesting small documentary. | |||||
A Neoteric hovercraft is used in a major environment restoration project on Pelican Island, a key Barrier Island off the coast of Louisiana, by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. (GLDD), the USA’s largest provider of dredging services. The island is crucial in protecting Louisiana citizens from storm surges and is one of the USA’s richest fisheries.
 |
|||||
| Training on the tidal marsh lands in the Great Lakes Dredging area where large Government contracts are paying for the construction of barrier Islands. Hovercraft are utilized for surveying the dredging ponds which eventually become Barrier islands. | |||||
Christy Hovercraft, Neoteric’s agent in Russia, participates in an international conference held by EMERCON, the Chief Department of the Russian Emergency Services Ministry. Christy Hovercraft reports, “The Hovertrek™ attracted great interest from senior governmental officials. It was noted that Neoteric hovercraft are extremely mobile, amphibious, have a low-profile design, good ergonomics and low maintenance ... all beneficial attributes for emergency work.”
 |
|||||
| Igor Lavrov the president of Christy Hovercraft explaining Hovercraft technology to Russian Officials. Christy imported a large number of neoteric 4 passenger kit Hovercraft which Christy assembled and sold throughout Russia. This business ran for several years until the Russian Government increased the import tax/duty until the business became too expensive. | |||||
Oakley hired the famous video agency, Thinkmodo in NY City, to take advantage of Oakleys sponsorship contract with Bubba Watsons who is a famous US Golf player. Thinkmodo invented the concept of a Hovering Golf Cart and approached Neoteric to investigate its feasibility. On the basis of a small contract Neoteric developed a Hovering Golf Cart and to save expense converted a used 4 seat model we had in stock. Neoteric developed and built the world’s first hovercraft golf cart Thinkmodo, Oakley and Bubba Watson. Thinkmodo named it the BW1. This was a designed Viral Video project. It was impeditive that nothing could be leaked about this program until a highly controlled release date was managed by Thinkmodo. In stealth mode and to keep the project top secret filming of the development in the factory and the actual filming in Arizona was all conducted in great secrecy and with much care. Thinkmodo orchestrated everything. The project took 3 months and involved firming at the factory and on site at The Raven Gold Club in Phoenix, Arizona. Read More...
 |
|||||
| Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald instructs Bubba Watson at the filming of Bubba’s Hover. | |||||
Bubba’s Hover, featuring Bubba Watson and Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald, was released on YouTube. It immediately became a global sensation, achieving 4 ½ million views in just a few days. Watch the video …
 |
|||||
| Watson adlibbed a whole spiel which was amazing considering he had never seen a hovercraft before. There was no script he simply made everything up. | |||||
Immediately, Bubba’s Hover and Neoteric are featured in numerous national and international media, including Fortune Magazine, Kingdom Magazine, Hammacher Schlemmer and all the national TV networks. NBC’s Today show featured co-hosts Matt Lauer and Al Roker flying Bubba’s Hover. This production was organized by Thinkmodo and filmed at the Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey.
 |
|||||
| Al Roker and Matt Lauer Pouring on the excitement. This was filmed from the back door of our company van while the Hovercraft was being towed on its trailer. Later Matt Lauer piloted the Hovercraft across a small lske with Roker as his passenger.This was a foolhardy risky “Holywood” style stunt that fortunately workedout. Lauer is a trained Aircraft Pilot which reduced the risk of an accident but they did come close. | |||||
26 April, 2013, we were contacted by Alex Iguchi the head golf professional from the Superior resort in the Ukraine. Subsequently a Hover Golf cart was shipped by container on the 28th August, 2013.
On the 25th October, 2013 Filip Przybysz, Neoteric sales director and Chris Fitzgerald, Neoteric President visited Kharkov’s Superior Golf and Spar in Ukraine to train the resident golf pro to operate the craft and to participate in publicity shots. While visiting the club we were given a tour and shown the club’s locker rooms where President Putin had his own Golf Club locker as he is or was a long-term club member.
 |
|||||
| Operating Kharkov’s new Hover Golf Cart on Kharkov’s golf course during publicity shots and training. | |||||
Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald is invited to Assault Craft Unit 4 in Virginia Beach to review the U.S. Navy’s training protocol for LCAC (Landing Craft, Air Cushion) crews. He is working with officials to develop a proposal for the Navy to consider using the Neoteric Hovertrek™ for initial LCAC crew training. His visit included a chance to pilot an LCAC on the Atlantic Ocean.
 |
|||||
| Fitzgerald Operating an empty LCAC at sea in Virginia. These craft require a navigator as well as a flight engineer to manage the 5 turbines while the pilot controls the rudders and propeller pitch. Trim must also be managed by one of the systems operators. | |||||
Chris Fitzgerald visited the Hirth Engine Company (Göbler-Hirthmotoren KG) in Germany, Hirth is Neoteric’s largest engine supplier. The visit resulted in Hirth’s agreement to modify their engines to Neoteric’s specifications. Read the full story …
 |
|||||
| Hirth owner Siegfried Göbler (left) and Chief Engineer Dietrich Kehe (right) meet with Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald (center). | |||||
From July through September, The Neoteric HoverGolf™ cart, the official limited edition replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1, is featured on the cover of the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and their web site
 |
|||||
| Neoteric’s Hovering Golf Cart on the cover of Hammacher Sehlemer Catalog which generate additional sales for neoteric. | |||||
In July, film crews from New York City and Los Angeles filmed a company profile about Neoteric Hovercraft - which will be seen by more than 6 million monthly viewers as part of the Yahoo! Finance Breakout Profiles series. See videos of the filming …
 |
|||||
| A Hovering Golf Cart being filmed on the Wabash River as part of the yahoo Breakout Series. | |||||
Also in July, Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield, Ohio became the first of the world’s 35,000+ golf courses to own two Neoteric HoverGolf™carts, the official limited edition replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1. Like Bubba’s Hover, this brought about another global media tsunami. Read the full story …
 |
|||||
| The two Hovering golf carts purchased by the Windy Knoll Golf Club in Springfield Ohio. Their craft were featured in several High-profile TV Golfing shows with leading golf personalities. | |||||
On 26th of July, Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon visits Neoteric and Hovercraft Training Centers to discuss his advice and advocacy on a proposal for HTC to provide hovercraft flight training to the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. See videos and photos …
 |
|||||
| Indiana Federal Congressman Dr Larry Bucshon, accompanied by his Aide-de-camp, took a ride in a Neoteric Training Craft. | |||||
Superior Golf & Spa Resort is the first golf course in Ukraine to own Neoteric HoverGolf™ Cart, the official limited-edition replica of Bubba Watson’s BW1.
 |
|||||
| The fully decaled Hovering Golf cart shipped to Ukraine for use at the Kharkov Superior Golf and Spar Club. | |||||
And in August, Neoteric customized a hovercraft for customer Bob Vanderheiden in burnt orange, the color of his other recreational vehicles, including his three Jeeps.
 |
|||||
| Bob Vanderheidens customized 4 passenger Hovertrek™. Special color to match his Jeep as well as his other recreational vehicles. | |||||
August also found Neoteric featured on TrailBlazerGirl.com, a website that showcas “the most interesting gear and amazing getaways for adventurous women who love the outdoors.”
 |
|||||
| Front page of TrailblazerGirl magazine. | |||||
The Embassy of Pakistan in Washington D.C. purchases two Neoteric hovercraft for the Pakistan Air Force to use in rescue operations.
 |
|||||
| One of two Rescue craft destined for Pakistan being tested on the Wabash River prior to shipping by container. | |||||
Also in September, action is taken against two Russian companies who are committing industrial and economic espionage; theft of technology and trade secrets by counterfeiting the Neoteric Hovertrek™: Air Wing (aka Production Company MSK and 000 Airoslava) and MosHovercraft Group (aka Globatek Group JSC). These counterfeit hovercraft may pose a serious threat to consumers, as well as risk the lives of first responders and those they are tasked to save.
 |
|||||
| Photo inside a Russian factory showing copies of Neoteric craft being manufactured illegally. | |||||
In September, Paul Biggerstaff of Woosung, Illinois purchased a Neoteric Hovertrek™ with a unique hand-painted camouflage color scheme, and learned to fly it at Hovercraft Training Centers.
 |
|||||
| Paul Biggerstaff preparing his craft to be unloaded prior to training at the Wabash River. | |||||
In September, the Prairieton, Indiana Fire Department takes ownership of the Neoteric rescue hovercraft formerly used by the Vigo County Emergency Management Agency in Terre Haute, Indiana. As Dick Setleff, former Emergency Management director said, “It’s about the price of a good motorcycle, and that’s nothing if you can use it to save just one life.”
 |
|||||
| Crew from the Prairieton Fire Department inspecting the underside of the craft they just inherited prior to a test demonstration on the Wabash River. | |||||
And in September, Walt Sitz builds his hovercraft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Hovercraft Kit, which he will use for recreational activities, but also to help others. Sitz owns Eagle Wings, Inc. in Oregon and belongs to Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that provides rescue and relief support to humanitarian missions worldwide.
 |
|||||
| The Kit craft assembled by Walt Sitz shown in his aircraft hanger in Oregon. | |||||
The Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Cart is a huge hit at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as a showcased product at the 2013 Great Gift Wrap Up. See attendees’ reactions in this video …
 |
|||||
| Visitors to the Great Gift Wrasp Up Exhibition at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas who were seriously considering purchasing a Hovering Golf cart. | |||||
Also in November, the leading aquaculture and marine science institutions in China purchase a Neoteric Hovertrek™ to use in research operations. These include Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Shanghai Ocean University, the Ministry of Agriculture Ocean Fisheries Training Center, the China Fisheries Network, and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.
 |
|||||
| China Fisheries new craft being tested on the Wabash before being loaded in a container and shipped to China. | |||||
In November 2013, Sascha Muller, the General Manager for the Siebal family called concerning the urgent delivery of an ultra-deluxe 6 passenger craft to be a surprise Christmas gift for Tom Siebal from his wife. The craft "MUST" be delivered to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico before the 25th December 2013. Ralph Weas, Neoteric sales director delivered the craft on the 21st December by company van. Ralph returned home on Christmas day the 25th Dec 2013 after an epic journey filled with adventure, challenges and danger.
On the 28th December 2013, Fitzgerald, flew to Puerto Vallarta on the Gulf of California. Three days were spent readying the craft and then to train Tom, his daughter Taylor, Sasha and Marine Captain Zavier Cabildo to operate their new craft in ocean waters off the Gulf of California.
 |
|||||
| Photo of Tom Siebals christmas present parked on his private beach in Puerto Vaallarta Mexico and prior to Tom and his daughter taking Hovercraft training lessons. Sascha Muller is seated at the controls while preparing the craft for training work. The familys marine captain, Zavier Cabildo observed the process. | |||||
John and Maureen Wright live on an island in Canada. No other vehicle would get them to and from the mainland when the water is not frozen enough to walk on or too frozen for a boat. They solved the problem by purchasing a Neoteric hovercraft.
 |
|||||
| John and Maureen Wright operating their new 4 place Hovertrek™ across thin frozen ice in Canada. | |||||
And in December, a video of a Neoteric hovercraft performing a deer rescue goes viral. James and Doug Kenison, owners of MedCity Hovercraft in Rochester, Minnesota use their Neoteric Hovertrek™ to rescue three exhausted deer, stranded on the frozen Albert Lea Lake. Watch the video …
 |
|||||
| Vira Video of James and Doug Kenison performing a deer rescue on their nearby lake. | |||||
Discovery Channel’s Tech Toys 360 airs an episode about Neoteric Hovercraft. The show features Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald, shows our Hovercraft Golf Cart in action and tours the Neoteric factory to see how Bubba’s Hover was manufactured. Watch the preview …
 |
|||||
| Fitzgerald interviewed by the Discovery Channel film crew for use in their 360 Tech Toys segment. | |||||
And in January, a Neoteric Hovertrek™ and a HoverGolf Cart are invited to give rides at “the ultimate adventure in Capitalism”: Noble Financial Capital Markets’ 10th Annual Equity Conference (“Noble 10”), an exclusive event for Wall Street executives and investors at Club Med in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
 |
|||||
| Captain Steve Stafford operating a 4-seat Hovertrek™ model in Florida during the Noble Capital Market annual equity conference. Steve gave rides to attendees as part of the conference promotions. | |||||
Also in January, Barry Eison of Tennessee purchased a Neoteric Hovertrek™ for hunting and fishing – but he also has plans to become a Neoteric dealer. Eison says, “I’ve looked at just about every hovercraft out there. If you go online and look at reviews, Neoteric is the only one that doesn’t have a single negative review.”
 |
|||||
| Barry Eison receiving his pilot and maintenance training certificate following his pilot schooling course. Barry has used his machine for many years to explore his favorite hunting grounds along the Mississippi River in Tennessee. | |||||
Neoteric supplies Puerto Rico customer with a Hovercraft Golf Cart. The owner of the hovercraft is also the owner of the Serrallés Distillery, the largest rum producer in Puerto Rico, who also owns hotels with golf courses.
 |
|||||
| The Hovering Golf Craft being tested on the Wabash before being exported to Puerto Rico. | |||||
President Fitzgerald travels to Hanoi, Viet Nam to conduct flight training to first responders from Viet Nam’s National Department of Rescue and Relief on their two new Neoteric rescue hovercraft. Watch the video …
 |
|||||
| Training Vietnam Fire Fighters near Hanoi. | |||||
Snohomish County Fire District’s two Neoteric hovercraft enable first responders to navigate the dismal search conditions after the Oso, Washington mudslide. Even rescuers are having to be rescued after becoming stuck up to their armpits in mud. But the hovercraft are able to fly across the mud and debris – keeping first responders above the danger rather than mired within it. Full story with photos …
In March, Dan Brown, an optometrist from Olney, IL, trades the Hovertechnics hovercraft he’s owned for 15 years, but rarely used, on a new Neoteric Hovertrek™. After his flight training, he says “Compared to my old one, the difference was like night and day! The reverse thrust is definitely a big difference. And this is just a much lighter craft.” Full story with video …
 |
|||||
| Dr Dan brown from Olney Illinois receiving his pilot and maintenance training certificate after completing his schooling in Terre Haute Indiana. | |||||
During March, Technotek Polska, Neoteric hovercraft dealer in Poland, was actively engaged in demonstrating the hovercraft’s value in rescue operations to fire departments and other rescue agencies throughout Poland – their response has been positive. Photo gallery …
 |
|||||
| Demonstration in Poland to members of the rescue fraternity. | |||||
Four Major Generals from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior visit Neoteric to take a test flight and explore the use of Neoteric hovercraft for swift water flood rescue operations in Saudi Arabia. Full story with photos …
 |
|||||
| Before cruising the Wabash these Saudi Representatives pose for their photo on the bank of the Wabash River. | |||||
April saw the Wylie Fire Department’s Neoteric hovercraft rescue a Texas man stuck in mud after being thrown from a bridge. The Wylie team reported that this was the only vehicle capable of performing this rescue. Put Blog on Wylie story here.
 |
|||||
| Wylie Fire department being filmed by local TV crew following their successful rescue of an individual who was stuck in mud. | |||||
Also in April, Larry Borland, a retired farmer from North Dakota, undergoes flight training at Hovercraft Training Centers in his new Neoteric HoverTrek™.
 |
|||||
| Larry Borland standing by his new Hovercraft during his pilot schooling on the Flooded Wabash River. | |||||
Indiana Outdoor Adventures, a TV program broadcast to more than 44 million households across the U.S., airs an episode devoted exclusively to Neoteric Hovercraft. Watch the full episode …
 |
|||||
| Perry Clean Creek Fire Department operating on frozen Lake Monroe in Indiana while a member of the Indiana Outdoor Adventure film crew recorded the action. | |||||
Neoteric customer Gary Meyers ,in May, used his hovercraft (named "Neo") both stared in an upcoming episode of NatGeo TV's None of the Above with the popular British host Tim Shaw - to be aired in 170 countries in 45 languages. Watch a video from the filming at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada …
 |
|||||
| Gary Meyers craft being filmed for the Episode NatGeo TV’s “None of the Above” on the bank of Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. | |||||
Project Phase #1: Neoteric prototype
Based on Dr Richard Funk’s concept, Neoteric designed a customized 4-passenger hovercraft for Tetra Tech, a global consulting and engineering firm with 330 offices worldwide. The hovercraft will survey above fragile coral reefs in the Caribbean in search of military MEC/UXO (Munitions & Explosives of Concern/Unexploded Ordnance). Tetra Tech’s Senior Geophysicist says,” The hovercraft is for going places you can’t go with conventional craft, places that are too shallow for a boat, places you can’t walk. We try to push it to the next level so we can go places other people can’t go, and where sensitive habitat is only inches below the water surface.”
 |
|||||
| Dr Richard Funk, Senior Scientist for Tetra Teck proposed this concept for a Hovercraft propelled magnetometer. The purpose for this equipment is to detect Unexploded ordinances in shallow water. A prototype installation was constructed by Neoteric and tested at Hawthorn Park in Terre Haute. It proved to be remarkably controllable and formed the basis of a functional and useable system. |
|||||
Phase #2, Hovercraft in action
After the successful prototype tests in water, Tetra Tech placed an order for a fully custom designed 4-passenger Hovertrek™.
 |
 |
 |
||
| 4 Seat craft equipped with full instrumentation to support Magnetometers for the detection of unexploded ordnances. | Craft equipped with Bimini top and mounts for all of the computers and voltage regulators and recorders. Tetra Tech Technicians received pilot and maintenance training on the Wabash River. | Training on the Wabash. Most of the Ordance detection work has to be performed in Salt water conditions which is not available in Terre Haute. | ||
Phase #3, Hovercraft equipped with data collecting equipment working in the ocean
In June 2015, Fitzgerald made a trip to Culebra, Puerto Rico, where he helped with problem solving in the operation of a hovercraft to map areas with unexploded ordnance. The project faced several challenges due to the saltwater environment, this complicated data collection efforts. Despite these difficulties, information was ultimately gathered. The constant exposure to saltwater necessitated frequent maintenance.
 |
|||||
| Neoteric Hovertrek™ equipment with data collecting equipment working in the ocean at Culebra, Puerto Rico. | |||||
The implementation of hovercraft technology in environmental and land surveying has garnered significant attention, prompting numerous media reports.
In September 2014, the publication FastTIMES by the Environmental & Engineering Geophysical Society featured an article discussing the application of Neoteric hovercraft in detecting unexploded ordnance over shallow coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. To read the article, please click here..
In January 2015, Hydro International, a prominent global magazine focused on hydrography, published an article spotlighting Neoteric and its customized hovercraft developed for Tetra Tech. This innovative “environmentally sensitive survey platform” facilitates data collection in shallow waters inhabited by protected species, offering a viable alternative to previously utilized, costlier, and less sensitive aircraft-based systems. For the complete article, please click here..
 | |||||
| Article published showing Magnetometer traces obtained with the Hovercraft pushing Magnetometers for coastal detection of unexploded ordinances in sensitive environments. | |||||
ESPN comes to Neoteric to film a special feature of NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse participating in a hovercraft race on Lazy L Lake, sponsored by Coca-Cola’s Nos Energy Drink. Other hovercraft pilots included Danica Patrick’s father T.J. Patrick, the Terre Haute Coca-Cola distributor and two Nos fans that won the chance to participate. Typical of every project, such as this, they always end up costing the company and rarely produce any useful results. In the end every craft used in this race was destroyed and cost the company many thousands. Coca-Cola refused to accept any responsibility for the damage produced. Watch the video …
 |
|||||
| Famed Indy race Car Driver was the lead pilot in the NOS Energy Drink Hover Race production filmed at lazy-l-lake In West Terre haute, Indiana. | |||||
D&T Landscaping purchases two customized Neoteric hovercraft to use for dust suppression at a major taconite-mining region on the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota. Owner David Olson says, “We needed something different. We use tractors and piston bullies, but they don’t work well in a soft environment. The surface here is like quicksand – you can’t stand or walk on it.” See videos and photos …
 |
|||||
| David Olson filling the 1000 LB spray tank with a special dust sealing solution. Trials were conducted over two days and a workable method was evolved. Olson’s crew was then trained to pilot, service and operate the machines. | |||||
October, NBC-2 TV airs a feature titled “Neoteric Hovercraft: A Hidden Treasure.” Watch the video …
 |
|||||
| Craft featured on Hidden Treasures on NBC-2 during October. | |||||
In the fall of 2014, a Neoteric hovercraft was utilized during the production of the film titled "Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland." It starred Alan Ritchson who was the contact for the project and served as a concluding chapter to the three-season series "Blue Mountain State." The filming took place in Wilmington, North Carolina. A Neoteric 4-passenger Hovertrek™ featuring side-by-side seating, referred to as the "Thadinator," was piloted by Neoteric instructor Steve Stafford.
 |
 |
|||
| Neoteric hovercraft in the movie filming was named “Thadinator”. | Neoteric instructor Steve Stafford piloting the hovercraft in the movie. | |||
Retired airline pilot builds his own hovercraft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Kit. Bill Holzgrove says, “Originally I was considering an airboat, but it’s too tall for the bridges on the river where I live, but a hovercraft will go under them with no problem. And I live in Minnesota, so there are lakes everywhere. In the spring and fall, when the waters going through the transition, I’ll be the only guy out there!“ In March 2024, Bill revisited Neoteric and brought his craft for repair and maintenance.
 |
 |
|||
| Construction of a 4 passenger Kit craft for Bill Holzgrove. The kit contains everything needed to complete the construction of a fully operational machine. | Bill Holzgrove receiving his Hovercraft Pilot and Maintenance Training Certificate. | |||
Two Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Carts star in the Cleveland Browns-Cincinnati Bengals halftime show at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Wall Street Journal reports, “At halftime, people in pink bunny costumes raced hovercraft on the field. This was the highlight of the afternoon.” Full story with photos …
 |
|||||
| Half time during the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals Windy Knol’s two Bubba Hovers transported Cheerleaders dressed up in Pink Bunny costumes around the field. | |||||
In December, Shaw Couevas opens a tourism business called “Southern Hovercraft“, in New Orleans with his 6-passenger Neoteric HoverTrek™. He says, “I think hovercraft are a new and exciting way to get customers out there and experience the wildlife. I called Neoteric because it seems to be the best on the market and because the Hoverclub of America recommended Neoteric.,”
 |
|||||
| Customer Shaw Couevas taking passengers for a spin in his 6-seat model. Shaw has also been contracted to do survey work for the various companies doing Marsh restoration projects for the Federal Government. | |||||
Shaw Couevas signed a survey contract with a Dredging company in Louisiana in February 2015. The following photographs depict the operational environment and the challenges that these conditions present to the Hovercraft crew and the Hovercraft.
 |
 |
 |
||
| US Government funded construction of barrier Islands along the Mississippi and Louisiana shore line. A 6-passenger craft with survey engineers are shown during a day’s work. Craft are used in salt water and thick mud. Position is located by GPS and soil samples are collected at each location. | Typical operating conditions which are harsh and hard on this type of equipment. Operating on these remote man-made islands means regular service is challenging. Often the operators are also responsible for maintenance. | Lots of dry cracked clay, shallow salt water, mud, grass, sand and silt are typically found in this operating environment. | ||
In January, NBC-2 News airs a video of an ice rescue practice for the Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Departments and their Neoteric rescue hovercraft. Watch the video …
 | |||||
| Director of Marketing and Sales at Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc., Filip Przybysz played the victim during an ice rescue practice for Perry Clear Creek, White River and Hazleton Fire Departments and their Neoteric rescue hovercraft. | |||||
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. Watch the ABC News video …
 | |||||
| Neoteric Rescue craft operated by the Napoleon Fire Department, rescues boaters with damaged outboard drives along with other rescue boats that suffered similar fates. | |||||
In February, Michigan’s North Muskegon Fire Department, which has utilized Neoteric rescue hovercraft for three decades, hosted an inaugural statewide Ice Rescue Conference and Education Day, attended by numerous fire and rescue departments and the U.S. Coast Guard. North Muskegon’s newest Neoteric Hovertrek™ performed ice rescue demonstrations and their original craft from 1985 was on display. Watch the news video …
 | |||||
| North Muskegon operating their craft during an Ice rescue training day in Muskegon Michigan. | |||||
In February, WOTV 4 Women, an ABC-affiliated TV station in Battle Creek, Michigan, broadcasts a program about Neoteric Hovercraft. Amanda, the host of the daily program Where You Live, learns to pilot a Neoteric Hovertrek™ on ice and films it for her show. Watch the full episode …
 | |||||
| A North Muskegon Neoteric Craft in action during training. | |||||
In February, Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. decided to focus on direct sales rather then through Dealerships, which always seemed to created a lot of issues. This will enhance our service by allowing all customers to work directly with top personnel at Neoteric headquarters.
Global News broadcast a feature about Moncton Fire Department’s preparation to rescue snowmobiles in Canada with their Neoteric hovercraft. Watch the video …
 | |||||
| Moncton’s 6 passenger Rescue craft being operated by trained Fire Fighters in their region of high tides and swift flowing water near the bay of Fundy. | |||||
Also in February, the Onset Fire Department in Wareham, Massachusetts uses their Neoteric Hovercraft Workhouse to rescue 10 deer after they fell through the ice into the Atlantic Ocean. Built in 1990, their hovercraft illustrates the longevity of Neoteric products. Watch the video …
 | |||||
| Onset Fire Department saving deer stranded in thin ice conditions. | |||||
Fox 13 TV in Salt Lake City, Utah, broadcasts a feature about the Neoteric rescue hovercraft operated by the Davis County Sheriff’s Department. For three years their hovercraft has saved lives in an area covered by the Great Salt Lake, and when the water is low it leaves miles of mudflats boats can't reach. Read the news …
 | |||||
| The Davis County 6 passenger Rescue craft being operated by county Sheriffs. | |||||
In April, Neoteric recreational hovercraft are well-represented at the Lake Havasu, Arizona HoverFest, a part of the Lake Havasu Boat Show, one of the premiere boat shows in the Southwest USA. Watch the hovercraft in action …
 | |||||
| Gary Myers participates each year in the Lake Havasu Boat Show and encourages other Hovercrafters to join him. | |||||
And also in April, North Muskegon Fire Department’s Neoteric rescue hovercraft rescues five fishermen from an ice-covered lake in Michigan. Fire Chief Steve Lague reports, “Our hovercraft have saved more lives than 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 Michigan Fire Department ream off on yet another ice rescue. Fishermen venture out on the ice in an area where large ships are moving and breaking the ice sheets into large islands, which leave the fishermen stranded. This explains the large number of rescues in this area by Neoteric Hovercraft and the North Muskegon Fire Department. | |||||
In the same month, the Viet Nam People’s Army purchased two additional 6-passenger Neoteric military hovercraft. Flight Instructor Steve Stafford conducted pilot training for additional Army personnel on Suoi Hai Lake at the Emergency Response Training Facility near Hanoi. Videos and photos …
 | |||||
| Steve Stafford instructor and interpreter on his right. This worked out well because the interpreter road in the craft with Steve and the student pilot and was able to help the student understand instructions from Steve using our Wireless communication headsets. | |||||
The Mansfield Fire Department’s Neoteric hovercraft rescues numerous victims from floodwaters after tornadoes and thunderstorms battered much of Texas. Mansfield’s Captain William Franks reports, “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.””
 | |||||
| The Mansfield Fire team in action in swift flowing flood waters. | |||||
Later in May, much of Texas is still a flood disaster zone, and the death toll includes first responders and victims lost to failed rescue attempts by vehicles that can’t perform like Hovercraft can in flood rescue operations. Fortunately, several Texas fire departments operate Neoteric rescue hovercraft. Watch a CBS news report showing Wylie Fire-Rescue saving a woman trapped on her submerged car …
 | |||||
| The Wylie Fire Department have been using neoteric Hovercraft for two decades and have performed many life saving operations. | |||||
Neoteric President Fitzgerald participated in Hover for Hunger, a unique 500 mile journey “up” the Wabash River to raise funds for charities that combat childhood hunger in Indiana. The downriver trip has been done by boat, but never by hovercraft and never upriver.
Participants are from all over the United States, Canada and Australia.
 | |||||
| Fitzgerald taking a break in Lafayette Indiana on the banks of the Wabash. | |||||
In July, Iowa’s Council Bluffs Fire Department purchased a new 6-passenger Neoteric rescue hovercraft. Appropriately, their first responders complete flight training and learn flood rescue techniques on the Wabash River at 22.8 ft. flood stage. Full story with photos …
 | |||||
| Training the Council Bluff team in Terre Haute during pretty serious river flooding. | |||||
When rescue boats were unable to reach kayakers trapped in mud, the West Islip Fire Department on Long Island, New York saved them in minutes with their Neoteric hovercraft – one of the only vehicles that could reach them under these circumstances. Read the full story …
 | |||||
| West Islip during a rescue undertaking on Long Island. The West Islip Fire Department have been involved with Neoteric Hovercraft for more than 2 decades. | |||||
Rob Wilson, President of the Neoteric Engineering Affiliates, the Australian branch of Neoteric Hovercraft, and Technical Director for Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc. travels to the U.S. to confer with Chris Fitzgerald. Their tasks include developing a skirt testing rig, to further Yamaha engine testing and to develop an enhanced thrust and lift duct system.
 | |||||
| Wilson on the left and Fitzgerald on the right steadying a hovering 1/3 powered scale model used in Neoteric’s design and development process. | |||||
The Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Cart is chosen to star in the premiere of an upcoming MTV program hosted by brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy Brown of the popular hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd. The pilot episode was filmed at a golf course in Pasadena, California near the Rose Bowl. Full story & photo gallery …
 | |||||
| Steve Stafford travelled to California to assist with this special production of these Hip-Hop musicians. | |||||
In October, General Motors’ GMC Certified Service featured a Neoteric hovercraft in their latest TV commercial. Watch the commercial …
 | |||||
| Filmed in California using Gallagher’s original Hovercraft and which has changed hands. The craft was leased to the film production company. | |||||
President Fitzgerald conducted a week of flight training at Barrick Gold Corporation’s Pueblo Viejo gold, silver and copper mine in the Dominican Republic, one of the largest gold mines in the world. Their Neoteric hovercraft is the only vehicle able to travel over the hazardous sections of the mine’s five tailings ponds. It is being used for the mine’s biodiversity and environmental projects, as well as for surveying, safety & security. Full story & photo gallery …
 | |||||
| Students participating in training at the barrack Gold Mine in the Dominican Republic. | |||||
On the 5th, we received a phone call from Los Angles concerning a contract for Six 6 passenger police Hovercraft for Indonesia. Filip Przybysz, Neoteric sales director visited Los Angles on 9th May 2016 to attend a presentation meeting. Then on the 22 May 22016 Filip travelled to Indonesia to secure the contract. Altogether 7 craft were shipped by container, 3 on 20th Oct, 2 on the 3 Nov and 2 on the 11 Nov 2017 and Peggy Sun and Chris Fitzgerald visited Indonesia on 15th Dec 2017 to train a large team of Police officers flown into Jakarta from many of the Indonesian Islands.
Again, Peggy and Chris returned to Jakarta and flew onto Manado in June 2019 where a single craft was serviced and demonstrated in the sea to the Station Commander at the Manado Coastguard base. Upon returning to Jakarta several other craft were serviced, demonstrated then test flown in the sea at the Jakarta Coastguard base. During this service work and late in the evening Chris suffered a serious leg injury when egressing one of the craft. By the time he returned to the US the leg had become seriously infected.
 | |||||
| The commander and members of the team receiving pilot and maintenance training. | |||||
Neoteric was honored to be the only rescue hovercraft exhibitor at the 2016 FDIC (Fire Department Instructor Conference), the world’s largest fire training-based conference and exhibition, held April 18-23 at the Lucas Oil Stadium and Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Neoteric never consistently attended any trade shows until April 2016 when 2 Rescue Hovercraft were displayed, indoors, at the Neoteric FDIC Booth in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2018 booth displays were moved outdoors where Hovering demonstrations could be conducted every ½ Hour during showtime. Participation has continued as follows:
- 2016, April 21, 22 and 23
- 2017, April 27, 28 and 29th
- 2018, April 25,26 and 27th Outdoor demonstrations
- 2019, April 11,12 and 13th
- 2020, April Cancelled due to Covid
- 2021, Aug 5,6 and 7th
- 2022, April 28, 29 and 30th
- 2023, April 27, 28 and 29th
- 2024, April 18, 19 and 20th
 | |||||
| Neoteric’s First attempt at participating at the FDIC Rescue Convention in Indianapolis. | |||||
WOPR, a national water rescue agency in Poland, launched its new Neoteric hovercraft in Szczecin. Purchased from Neoteric dealer in Poland, Tecnotek Polska, it is the first rescue hovercraft in Szczecin and the region. “This machine can save people under the most difficult weather conditions that prevent the use of a helicopter. 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," said WOPR's Jason Kleczaj. Full story & photo gallery …
 | |||||
| WOPR’s team demonstrating their capabilities to a crowd of Rescue Officials in Poland | |||||
In August 2016, Mr. Tadasuke Omori of Eco Vision Brains Co., Ltd., a company specializing in outdoor activities in Japan, expressed interest in acquiring a hovercraft for use on one of their golf courses near Mount Fuji. The hovercraft was customized with a yellow gel coat as per the customer's specifications.
 | |||||
| Eco Vision Brain Co., Ltd.’s 6-passenger Hovertrek™ in custom yellow gel coat | |||||
While the hovercraft was in production, 2 student pilots from Eco Vision Brain Co., Ltd. visited Neoteric factory and participated in pilot training on 6 Oct 2016.
 |  |
 |
|||
| Mr. Koji Tamura, President of Eco Vision Brains Co., Ltd. (in the middle) and Mr. Jiro Watanabe took Hovercraft Pilot training with Chris Fitzgerald while visiting the factory after placing their 6-passenger Hovertrek™ order. | Chris Fitzgerald demonstrating unloading the hovercraft from the trailer. Training took place on a golf course In Terre Haute. | Hovercraft Pilot hands-on training on a Golf Course in Terre Haute. | |||
Starting in January 2017, Eco Vision Brains Co., Ltd proposed applying to the Japanese Government for authority to use their Hovercraft for Rescue applications. However, they encountered numerous challenges in securing the necessary approvals. Between 2017 and 2022, through the dedicated efforts of Eco Vision Brains Co., Ltd and Neoteric Inc., significant progress was made. On June 14, 2022, Alisa Bakulina, assistant to President Koji, announced, “For now, we can say that for the first time in Japan, a Neoteric Hovercraft has passed the examination as a ship.”
 |  |
||||
| The original yellow Hovertrek™ was wrapped in red (which is the standard color for rescue models) and shown undergoing ioll stability test in water. | Neoteric Hovercraft central gravity lifting designs. | ||||
President Fitzgerald conducted a week of flight training and maintenance instruction for the Pakistan Air Force at the PAF Sea Survival School in Karachi, Pakistan. The two 4-passenger Neoteric hovercraft owned by the PAF are used for security patrol along the Korangi Creek Air Force Base shoreline, which contains mudflats and mangroves that make it inaccessible to many other vehicles. Full story & photos …
 | |||||
| During one week of training in Karachi. Craft required extensive maintenance before training could commence. This became a course in Light Hovercraft Refurbishment and maintenance. | |||||
During September and piloted by President Fitzgerald, a 6 passenger Neoteric craft was deployed to carry the torch in the signature event of Indiana’s 200th birthday: the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay. Many Modes of transport were selected that were symbolic of the heritage and history of Indiana. As the media often report, Neoteric, with its international clientele and global reputation, has put Terre Haute, Indiana on the world map. Full story, photos, video …
 | |||||
| The Bicentennial Torch was carried into Terre Haute from down the Wabash River from the North. The handoff was made from the Hovercraft after travelling up the boat ramp onto land in Fairbanks Park. | |||||
Peggy Sun joined The Neoteric team full time. In 1993 Peggy completed a master of Mechanical Engineering Degree at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. For her Master’s thesis she undertook a nodal vibration analysis of Neoteric’s Neova 8 V8 Chrysler 318 machinery module. In the intervening years Peggy, while working part-time, assisted Neoteric with Chinese interpretation and translation. Now Peggy is responsible for engineering technical support, Asian Sales, and backs the Company president as needed. Later she was appointed as the company vice president.
Neoteric’s business in China continued to expand. In October, Neoteric agent, China Hai Pai Hovercraft, Ltd. – the leading hovercraft company in China – arranged for the YiWu Emergency Rescue Team to demonstrate their Neoteric hovercraft for the Vice-Minister of China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, Mr. Gu ChaoXi, and Major General WenPing Feng, Commander of the Zhejiang Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Full story & photo gallery …
 | |||||
| During a demonstration and brief maintenance program organized by our Agent Mr Siaoming Huang of Shanghai Haipai Hovercraft. Major General WenPing Feng, Commander of the ZheJiang Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and his accompanying personnel were impressed with the performance of the rescue hovercraft. |
|||||
Also in October, China, Yellow River Tourist Attractions in LuLiang City, Shanxi Province, added two 6-passenger Neoteric hovercraft to the one 4-passenger Neoteric craft they already own. Two engineers from Neoteric’s agent, China HaiPai Hovercraft, Ltd., conducted additional training on the Yellow River, where the three hovercraft are operated for tourism. Full story with photos …
 | |||||
| Hai Pai Engineer Mr. Lu Chun Zhong (in red) familiarizes the pilot trainees with the operational features of the Neoteric hovercraft in Luliang City, Shanxi Province. | |||||
And in October, Lockheed Martin’s new P-791 Hybrid Airship was revealed. Neoteric played an important role in helping to expose the Lockheed Pilots to the Hovercraft concept and their unusual dynamics. In 2005, during the Airship’s development, Lockheed Martin’s test pilots visited Neoteric for flight training on a Neoteric 6 passenger model. They needed to familiarize themselves with the feel of hovercraft as this technology is used in the Airship landing system. Full story with photos …
 | |||||
| Lockheed’s Flying airship which has an AirCushion landing system that hovers and can run in reverse to suck the airship onto the ground for ground handling operations. | |||||
Fitzgerald and Vice President/Asia Peggy Sun traveled to China November 10-21 to visit current and future customers and to help coordinate the 2018 World Hovercraft Championship, which was to take place in Taiyuan. The tour was organized by Mr. Huang of Hai Pai Hovercraft in Shanghai, Neoteric’s agent in China. Locations visited included:
Qikou, Shanxi Province: Where Chris took three hovercraft pilots from Yellow River Tourist Attractions on an exploratory flight in one of their two new 6-passenger Neoteric hovercraft …
 | |||||
| Fitzgerald riding local Officials from the river town of Qikou, Shanxi Province | |||||
Taiyuan: President Fitzgerald and Vice President Sun met with the Taiyuan Hovercraft Association, the Shanxi Chinese Arts International Exchange Co. Ltd. and the Ministry of Culture of the Peoples Republic of China to discuss a possible 2018 World Hovercraft Championship to be held in Taiyuan. Fitzgerald was on a Fact-finding mission as the representative of the World Hovercraft federation in Europe. …
 | |||||
| Fitzgerald and Peggy Sun meet with officials in Taiyuan. Neoterics’s Dealer and Agent Mr Siaoming BHuang of China HaiPai in Shanghai is seated second From the left. | |||||
Hancheng, Shaanxi Province: A meeting was held with officials who are building the 1000+ acre Shaanxi Development Park, which they hoped would feature hovercraft rides …
 | |||||
| More meetings with officials from the Shanxi province who were eager to Deploy Hovercraft for riven transportation in their Shanxi Development Park. | |||||
Xian, Shanxi Provence: President Fitzgerald and Vice President Sun, both engineers, inspected two Hovertechnics hovercraft owned by Chan Ba National Park. Xian is the city where one of the greatest archeological discoveries in the world is located: The Terra Cotta Army, thousands of clay soldiers buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di.
 | |||||
| Sun and Fitzgerald talking to the Hovercraft team who operate two Hovertechnic’s machines in the Chan Ba National Park, Xian. | |||||
Shanghai: Fitzgerald and Sun met with Hai Pai Hovercraft, Neoteric’s agent in China, Mr Siaoming Huang, manager of Shanghai Hai Pai second from left. With Huang’s help and support visited the owner of China Hovercraft (Feilang Hovercraft), Mr. Yang.
 |  |
||||
| From left: Neoteric VP/Asia Peggy Sun, Neoteric Agent Mr. Huang, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald, Interpreter Ms. Eliza, and Hai Pai Chief Engineer Mr. Lu. | From left: Feilang Hovercraft Senior Engineer Mr. Liu, Neoteric President Fitzgerald, and Feilang President Terry Yang the son of Yang Yang who was also a neoteric Agent for a while. Photo taken inside Feilang’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai. | ||||
Yi Wu: A meeting took place with officials from the Yi Wu Volunteer Fire Rescue Organization, which operates a Neoteric rescue hovercraft. The government has deemed the organization an example for other cities in the province to emulate.
 |  |
||||
| Chris Fitzgerald reviews pre-flight inspection procedures with Yi Wu Fire Rescue team members prior to launching their Neoteric hovercraft. | Yi Wu Chief of Police Mr. Fung and Chris Fitzgerald shake hands after a productive day with the Yi Wu Fire Rescue Organization. Neoteric’s Agent who was responsible for these visits Mr Siaoming Huang, President Manaer of Shanghai Hai Pai is shown third from the left. | ||||
Beijing: Chris Fitzgerald and Peggy Sun had a productive meeting with Globeez Fire Technology Co. Ltd., a rescue equipment distributor who is interested in representing Neoteric Hovercraft throughout China.
 | |||||
| Chris Fitzgerald meets with Patty Wong from Globeez Fire Technology Co. Ltd. Miss Wong subsequently visited Neoteric’s stand at the FDIC but ultimately no business arrangements resulted from these efforts. | |||||
Neoteric purchased, Hovertechnics II, LLC, formally known as Hovertechnics Inc, from Mike Kohler located in Benton Harbor Michigan. In the same month Neoteric incorporated Hovertechnics LLC in Indiana. Due to excessively high operating costs the Benton Harbor facility was closed and moved to Neoteric’s headquarters in Terre Haute, Indiana during Sep of 2019.
HHedda Firminger following the death of her husband who was President of the company became the owner of Hovertechnics in Benton Harbor, Michigan. One of the local vendors, a machine shop that provided machined parts to Hovertechnics over a period of many years expressed an interest in taking over the operation. After Hugh (Hedda Firminger's husband) died, Hedda ran the company until Mike Kohler, the machine shop owner, eventually purchased it. Mike kept the business alive for several years but was looking for another company to take over.
2017 Neoteric made Kohler an offer that they accepted. At this time, Hovertechnics was negotiating orders with the Cyprus Airports Authority and Shanghai Stone Industry each wanting hovercraft with general motors, V-8, 300HP engines.
Since Hovertechnics was already selling 12 passenger craft, Neoteric management team believed that purchasing Hovertechnics company would be a way of expanding their own market to include larger capacity craft. As well as having 1000 Hovertechnic craft in the market place that have a long-term need for spares.
 |  |
||||
| The front entrance of Hovertechics in Benton Harbor in Michigan when Neoteric took over the company. | Inside view of the Hovertechnics Workshop during one of neoteric team visit to provide needed supplies and to collect Product. | ||||
Neoteric hovercraft were the star attraction at Canada’s Voyageur Winter Carnival at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario, one of the largest living history attractions in North America, bringing visitors from all over the world. Full story with photos …
 | |||||
| Giving non-stop rides for two days. Hovercraft were well received by all visitors. | |||||
For the second year in a row, Neoteric and Hovercraft Training Centers were featured as the only rescue hovercraft exhibitor at FDIC (Fire Department Instructor’s Conference), the world’s largest fire training-based conference and exhibition. FDIC 2017 had a record-breaking turnout of 33,979 attendees from 58 nations – the largest FDIC in history. Full story with photos & video …
 | |||||
| Fitzgerald, Captain Steve Stafford, Neoteric Instructor, and Peggy Sun man the neoteric exhibit. | |||||
Fitzgerald and Captain Steve Stafford traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico to conduct a week of flight training and maintenance instruction for 20 officers and cadets from Seguridad de Guanajuato, the state security force. The force’s two new Neoteric 6 seat hovercraft are for patrolling Lake Yuriria, even when the lake is covered with water lily growth that prevents access by any other watercraft. Full story with photos …
 | |||||
| Captain Steve Stafford on the left and Fitzgerald next seated with local translators. Craft is parked on the bank of Lake Yurira and close to Guanajuato Which is 6725 feet above sea level. | |||||
Seven 6-passenger rescue craft with cabins were shipped by container to Indonesia for rescue work. Three were shipped on the 20th Oct. Two on the 3rd Nov and Two on the 11th Nov 2017.
 |  |
||||
| Craft bound for Guanajuato being tested on the Wabash River prior to being loaded in Containers. | Craft for Mexico being lined up for container loading. | ||||
From 15th to 23rd Dec 2017 Peggy Sun and Fitzgerald visited Jakarta Indonesian to train a team of Police officers.
 |  |
||||
| The Indonesian Police Offices expecting to be trained. Such a program would take more than one month so the actual training just becomes a hand-on familiarization test flight. | Indonesian officials being taken for a test flight so they can be familiar with the Hovercraft Concept. | ||||
Neoteric donated a 4-passenger rescue craft to Project Hero for volunteer rescue projects headed by Captain Steve Stafford a retired Police Rescue Hovercraft Pilot and neoteric instructor.
 | |||||
| Neoteric donated this 4 passenger rescue craft to HERO. HERO lasted for a few years and was eventually discontinued. The craft returned to neoteric. | |||||
From 26th to 28th April 2018 Neoteric exhibited at FDIC. It is the first year that Neoteric booth displays were moved outdoors where hovering demonstrations could be conducted every ½ hour during showtime. One 4-passenger rescue hovercraft was used to give live hovering demonstrations. One of two Hoverguard 1000 (1200 lbs. payload) fire rescue hovercraft with water hose foam Fire Fighting system were built for Hermes Airport Cyprus and displayed at the FDIC.
 |  |
||||
| Hovertechnic 1000 being displayed at FDIC. | One of two craft built for Cyprus Airport was displayed by Neoteric at FDIC. | ||||
Kit craft shipped to England while domestic sales continue to private and rescue customers.
 |  |
||||
| Kit Engine Module tested to full speed and being readied for 20-foot container loading. | Complete kit craft loaded into the body/hull, mounted on its shipping trailer and enclosed with its own storage cover. | ||||
 | |||||
| Kit craft after arriving in the UK and being unloaded from its 20-foot shipping container. | |||||
In August and December 2018, kit craft and fully assembled machines shipped to China.
 |  |
 |
|||
| Jian Jun Chief Autogiro Pilot for Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicle Manufacturing Company, during Hovercraft Pilot and assembly training in Terre Haute. | One of three craft for Shaanxi Baoji undergoing testing on the Wabash River prior to container loading. | Jack Zhang Chief of Shanghai Yi-Long Industrial Group Co. Ltd. Demonstration craft undergoing testing on the Wabash River prior to shipping. | |||
After shipping the demo craft to Jack Zhang, the Chief of Shanghai Yi-Long Industrial Group Co. Ltd. Chris Fitzgerald and Peggy Sun got invited to Xiamen China to visit the dealer and showcased a hovercraft demonstration for the Xiamen Airport Expansion Project. Click here to watch the aerial view of the hovercraft in action.
One Hovertechnics HT1000 hovercraft is container shipped to Shanghai HaiPai, for Sichuang Suining Rescue team in China.
 |  |
||||
| Testing a 1000 craft built for Mr XiaoMing Huang, the agent from shanghai Haipai. Craft was delivered to china SiChuan SuiNing Fire Department. Shown are the Hovertechnic’s team who built the craft. Fitzgerald visited to check the craft prior to shipping. | SiChuan SuiNing Fire Department Craft loaded on its own trailer during testing on the St Joseph River at the Hovertechnics factory in Benton Harbor Michigan. | ||||
6 Passenger Rescue craft shipped to West Islip Fire department on Long Island NY.
West Islip purchased a 4 passenger Rescue craft in Feb 2003.
 | |||||
| Flying their new 6 passenger Rescue craft into the Fire House | |||||
Another 4-passenger rescue model is shipped to China dealer. Craft shown being tested and loaded into a 20 ft container for shipping.
 |  |
||||
| Tests conducted at the Wabash River prior to container shipping to Shanghai Yi-long/ Dealer Jack Zhang | Craft sitting on trailer fitted with storage cover and being loaded into a 20-foot container prior to being shipped. | ||||
"Aaron Needs A Job". In July Neoteric was invited to participate in a TV show called “Aaron Needs a Job” in which Aaron Kaufman visits a factory and in only a few hours learns enough about a product that he can operate one. Unfortunately, this proved not to be the case with the Neoteric Hovertrek™ model and a craft was substantially damaged. Unfortunately Kaufman and his team simply walked away. It was not a beneficial experience for Neoteric! Full story with photos …
Shipped 6-passenger military craft to Charles Lin the owner and president of Yoshine Helicopters Co. Ltd, Taiwan for Taiwan Navy mine laying application study in shallow water along the surf line and across tidal mud flats in Taiwan.
 | |||||
| 6 Passenger Military Hovertrek™ version being investigated in Taiwan to evaluate the craft’s capabilities for Mine laying in shallow surf lines and across tidal mudflats. | |||||
A 4-passenger craft installed with 100hp engine was constructed and shipped to private customer in Australia. Container shipped in June 2020.
 |  |
 |
|||
| 4-passenger crafty with a 100 HP engine. Bimini top fitted and being tested on the Wabash River in Terre Haute. | 100 HP 4 passenger craft being tested on the Wabash River. | Container loading a 4 passenger 100 HP machine for customer in Australia. | |||
Troy Henderson contacted Neoteric and wanted to surprise his father with a Hovercraft for his 80th birthday. His father is Dr. Robert Henderson of Lancaster, South Carolina, the founder of Nutramax Laboratories.
On 27th February 20202 Steve Stafford delivered his 4-passenger birthday craft with combination seating and provided minimal Training to Dr Henderson after the surprise was over. Read the full story …
 | |||||
| Dr. Henderson driving his surprise birthday present which was delivered by Steve Stafford who set-up the display craft and gave limited training and instructions. | |||||
| Previous | Company History | Next |