Ripoff Report: AirWing.ru counterfeits Neoteric Hovercraft

If the old adage “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” is true, then Neoteric should be flattered, since the HoverTrek™ is the most copied hovercraft in the world. But knockoff Gucci handbags are one thing; counterfeit hovercraft that can endanger consumers are an entirely different matter.

This problem should not be underestimated. Since hovercraft are increasingly used in rescue operations, there is great concern in the international hovercraft industry that these imitations seriously threaten the lives of first responders, as well as the lives of those they’re tasked to save. In addition to the public safety hazards of counterfeit products, industrial/economic espionage costs the United States hundreds of billions of dollars a year. The FBI states that the Cold War is not over; it has simply taken on a different form – Economic War – and this war has been designated as the FBI’s #2 priority, second only to terrorism.

Who is committing this espionage? In a recent report to Congress from the National Counterintelligence Executive, China is named as the leading culprit, followed closely by Russia. And counterfeiting is a growing problem in Russia; a Russian Interior Ministry investigation reports that up to a third of everything sold to consumers in Russia is counterfeit.

This Russian problem has directly affected Neoteric. A company in St. Petersburg, Russia, AirWing.ru (aka Production Company “MSK” / 000 Aeroslava), has committed industrial/economic espionage and intellectual property theft against Neoteric by illegally manufacturing counterfeit copies of the patented Neoteric HoverTrek™. These counterfeits were first marketed by AirWing as the “Niaterek” (In a 2013 court action, AirWing stated they decided to call their hovercraft ‘Niaterek’ because they thought this name would attract more customers who would associate it with “the famous American manufacturer"). The company is now marketing the counterfeit as the “AirwingNeoteric” – the name itself constituting intellectual property theft.

In this video posted yesterday, AirWing is touting their counterfeit hovercraft via Russian television news. We are in the process of reporting the video to appropriate agencies …

And here are illegal copies of the Neoteric HoverTrek™ in production at AirWing's assembly facility in Russia ...

Neoteric and our licensed Russian agent LL Sirius/Christy Hovercraft are working with the General Directorate Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as the FBI, CIA and U.S. Department of Commerce to curtail the illegal actions of AirWing. Since the U.S. and Russia have recently agreed upon an “Intellectual Property Rights Action Plan”, we will now enlist the aid of additional agencies to stop this theft.

In the meantime, we highly encourage all potential hovercraft buyers to thoroughly research companies to make certain that you’re purchasing from the original, experienced, reputable manufacturer and not a counterfeiter. Your life could depend upon it.

Read the World Hovercraft Organization’s Ripoff Report for

full details of AirWing’s crimes …

VIDEO: Deck the HoverTrek with Boughs of Holly!

All of us at Neoteric Hovercraft wish you a Merry Christmas!

And here's a little gift for you. Watch as Neoteric customer MedCity Hovercraft shows you the best way to get the elf off the shelf. (Yes, this is the same hovercraft that performed that magnificent deer rescue earlier this year) ...

Announcing the First Annual Havasu HoverFest

Hovercraft events take place all over the world, but Neoteric customer Gary Meyers is organizing one that’s sure to be a great hit. The First Annual Havasu HoverFest is coming up April 10-12, 2015 as a part of the largest boat show in the West – the Lake Havasu Boat Show in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

The HoverFest will include demonstrations, time trials off the beach, and a cruise up the Colorado River. Here’s a photo of Gary on the Colorado River, with the scenic Topock Gorge in the background …

Now, enjoy a quick preview of the HoverFest - hop on board and take a cruise up the Colorado with Gary in “Neo”, his Neoteric HoverTrek™ …

Gary reports, “I am still entirely enjoying Neo on and around Lake Havasu. This is the perfect terrain for recreational hovercrafting, with plenty of flat lands, beaches, water, and river areas to explore. The Neoteric can easily maneuver in areas not accessible to other boaters.  While passing near some of the shorelines, I often see a lot of faces being obscured by cameras and smart phones! This is fun!”

We’ll keep you updated as Havasu HoverFest plans develop. In the meantime …

Register to participate in the First Annual Havasu HoverFest …

Bubba Claus ‘raps’ his Christmas gift – on his Neoteric Hovercraft Golf Cart

Bubba Watson has released a new Christmas-themed rap video as a gift to his fans, featuring his Neoteric-manufactured hovercraft golf cart, the BW1. And, like his viral video Bubba’s Hover, it’s taking the media by storm … although to somewhat mixed reviews.

The UK’s Daily Mail wrote, “Every rapper should have a cool set of wheels – and Watson’s golf buggy certainly oozes class!”

But the Golf Channel says, “Bubba Claus brings joy to your heart, pain to your ears.”

The Washington Post reported, “Bubba Watson knows the best way to offer a Christmas gift … he breaks out his hovercraft, making sure to remind everyone that he owns this awesome vehicle in the chorus:

“I just touched down in my hovercraft

I bet you wanna know what’s in my bag

Is it golf clubs or a bag of toys?

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Bubba Claus!”

Is this an instant replay of the recent Browns/Bengals game, where fans loved the hovercraft but not the game? Watch the video, “Bubba Claus – The Single” then leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Cleveland Browns: 0 … Hovercraft Halftime Show: Touchdown!

Over the weekend, Windy Knoll Golf Club’s two Neoteric HoverGolf™ Carts were the star of the show at the Cleveland Browns-Cincinnati Bengals game at FirstEnergy Stadium. Windy Knoll was the first golf course in the U.S. to own official replicas of Bubba's Hover, Bubba Watson's BW1 hovercraft golf cart.

Steve Stafford, flight instructor at Hovercraft Training Centers, organized the hovercraft halftime show and described the action:  “At halftime, we fired up the hovercraft and flew around the field. Next, we each raced a passenger around some flags to the other end, where they got out and donned pink bunny suits,” he reported. “Then they both got back in, were hovered back to the starting point, where they each had to change bunny suits with their partner. After switching suits, both partners were flown back to the other end zone. The first one back got first choice of a gift held by each of the mascots. Both gifts were all-expense paid trips to upcoming football events.”

No fumbles in the hovercraft action! But the game itself was another story. Fans and media alike praised the hovercraft halftime show over the game.

The Wall Street Journal, in “Johnny Football Gets Deflated” wrote: “At halftime, people in pink bunny costumes raced hovercraft on the field. This was the highlight of the afternoon.”

A fan Tweeted, “Hovercraft race at halftime in Cleveland. It is approximately 400 times more interesting than the football game so far.”

The Washington Post  reported the live action, writing at halftime, “I am sure hovercraft racing at halftime will make fans forget all about what they just witnessed,” then after the game reported, “Alas, not even the hovercraft could help turn the momentum Cleveland’s way in the second half.”

In the end, the Bengals rolled past the Browns in a 30 – 0 rout. But the Neoteric HoverGolf™ Carts were a definite winner!

Enjoy a few photos below of the hovercraft scoring points …

At Cleveland's FirstEnergy Stadium, Windy Knoll's Neoteric HoverGolf™ Carts wait to enter the field:

In the Cleveland Browns' Dawg Pound, the hovercraft golf carts are ready for their halftime performance:

Left to right: Crew member Jody East, pilot Steve Stafford, pilot Preson Aleshire, and Cleveland Browns mascot Brownie the Elf inside the hovercraft:

Cleveland Browns mascot, Chomps, squeezes inside one of the Windy Knoll Neoteric HoverGolf™ Carts:

Touchdown! The Neoteric Hovercraft golf carts fly the race contenders during the halftime show, capturing more positive attention than the game itself:

Read more about Windy Knoll’s Neoteric Hovercraft golf carts …

Hovercraft: The novelty never ends

Here’s a familiar scenario: someone buys a vehicle for recreation – a jet ski, a boat, a snowmobile – to use it a few times, then the novelty wears off and it ends up languishing in their garage, or they sell it.

This is rarely the case with a hovercraft, and Barry Eison’s story is the perfect example. Barry, a 56-year-old mechanical engineer from Tennessee, purchased a 4-passenger Neoteric HoverTrek™ a year ago and his enjoyment of his hovercraft continues to grow.

Barry bought a hovercraft because “Every time we go out hunting, fishing, exploring, we see places we can’t get to. So many areas are inaccessible. Duck hunting is big in my area and one of the biggest frustrations for duck hunters is you have to be able to go from water to land to water – a hovercraft makes that possible.”

One reason the novelty of his hovercraft hasn’t worn off is that Barry entered his new adventure wisely - first, by purchasing the right hovercraft. “I’ve been looking at hovercraft for five years,” he said. “I’ve looked at every hovercraft company out there … Neoteric is the only one that doesn’t have a single negative review.” And next, by undergoing pilot training at Hovercraft Training Centers.

Barry Eison (right) accepts his Hovercraft Pilot Certification from
Neoteric President/HTC Senior Flight Instructor Chris Fitzgerald.

As do most of our customers, Barry stays in frequent communication with us at Neoteric. You can see from a few of his emails over the last year how his hovercraft is definitely not going to end up languishing in his garage! …

August 27, 2014:

“My overall thoughts to date are:

1) I love this machine. The more I use it, the more I realize the engineering and research & development that went into its development.

2) I want to experiment with different material for the bags.

3) This craft would be easy to learn to drive if someone drove it who had never driven anything else.

4) I am becoming quite confident with it and absolutely cannot wait to get it out hunting this winter. It has already opened up areas that I have hunted my entire life but have never been able to access. Well done, Neoteric, well done.”

November 12, 2014:

“The hovercraft has performed very well on the Mississippi River and in and around the barge traffic we encounter. I was able to harvest my first deer from an area that I was previously unable to access but can now using the hovercraft. The state game wardens think it is fascinating and have given me the green light to use it freely on land or water within their motorized vehicle guidelines.”

December 15, 2014:

“I took the hovercraft out on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon and deliberately targeted rough waters (barge wakes, small whirlpools, traversing small rapids over rock dikes, swift current) and the craft performed absolutely flawlessly. The more I use it the more impressed with it I am. My only regret is that I wish that I had ordered the six person craft versus the four person. 

You may want to pass this on to other clients who purchase your hovercraft in the future. Do not take the training manual home and set it on a shelf. Print it, put it in a notebook and READ IT. Everything you need to know about the craft is enclosed! It has been a godsend for me.”

Read more comments from Neoteric customers …

VIDEO: Neoteric Rescue Hovercraft in use around the world

Neoteric rescue hovercraft are being utilized to save lives in nations all around the world, and here’s just one example. Early this year, Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald traveled to Hanoi to deliver two new Neoteric Rescue HoverTreks to Tuyet Nga Co. Ltd., a security and rescue equipment supplier. As Hovercraft Training Centers’ Senior Flight Instructor, Fitzgerald also conducted flight and maintenance training for Tuyet Nga personnel as well as first responders from Vietnam’s National Department of Rescue & Relief.

At Viet Nam’s Emergency Response Training headquarters near Hanoi, Chris Fitzgerald (5^th from left)
and officials from Tuyet NGA and the Department of Rescue and Relief
join hands in a symbolic gesture of partnership.

The hovercraft are great assets to a nation so often plagued by floods and monsoons. And professional pilot training is also a great asset – especially when it teaches you how to train others. In this recent video, the pilots trained by Chris Fitzgerald are conducting training in Vietnam for additional first responders from Brigade 249 of the Public Affairs Command, who will utilize the hovercraft for search & rescue and military operations …

Learn more about Neoteric Hovercraft ...