Potential commercial uses for the hovercraft

After recently seeing the flurry of interest in the hovercraft as a golf cart novelty perhaps it's time to present some ideas for the use of hovercraft in untapped areas. TLS WindSled Inc is capable of custom designing any hovercraft on the market to fulfill all of the following uses. Since 2005 we have sold hover to many people who have used the units for these purposes.
1. Agricultural Sprayer- the unique properties of the hovercraft make it an ideal vehicle for applying various liquid fertilizers and minerals to crops. The hovers small footprint on cushion and at rest prevent damage to young plants and grasses.
2. Lawn Care- run a hover over the grass and see what it does to the lawn. This requires a segmented skirt which many hovers on the market today use. The segments work with the air in lifting and removing dead grasses and other debris trapped in the in the grass. This leaves a clean smooth lawn. I've used my hover on pro ball fields and the grounds keepers love it. Potential customers will include; Sod farms, Lawn Care companies, Pro Baseball, Football, and Golf courses
3. Track dryer- Water on race tracks can be easily removed using a hovercraft the downward motion of the air for lift and the outward motion of the thrust make quick work when applied to a race track. It also makes for a pretty good show for spectators
4. Low head dam whether it be inspection or rescue the hovers ability to operate unhindered around low head dams make the hover ideal for any work involving fast moving water
5. Survey companies- the hover can be used in all manner of terrain. Mud, Ice, Water, Grass, and Snow the hover can skim over the top of these surfaces with little to no impact on the surface most hovers can be landed on an unstable surface and due to the footprint of the vehicle even off cushion most hovers make for a very stable platform to operate from. Obviously high waves will impact the vehicle but mud, snow, weak ice, and surfaces that would be damaged by a tire track will be left untouched by most hovers.
6. Maintenance transporter- Maintaining cable systems or warning buoys can be difficult when the seasons change the hover makes perfect sense when it comes to this type of application. Reaching a barge frozen in the river way is simple with the hover
7. Rescue work- the hovers ability to skim over instead of plow through makes it the perfect match for rescue work. A victim has fallen through the ice the rescue worker simply flies the hover to the victim reaches over plucks the individual out of the thin ice and chilling water places them in the unit and flies them back to solid ground and a waiting medical team. The rescue worker never has to exit the hover. A rescue boom can be added to the deck of a hover and platforms to the sides and you have the perfect platform to perform many rescues. Since the hover flies over snow it can be used to reach stranded motorist on long stretches of road way or victims in flooded areas.
8. New form of spectator sport. Races on clay tracks with varying surfaces can make for an awesome draw for clay track owners. Rain and wet track will only improve the performance. Off season racing can help generate additional revenues for clay track owners. Pre-race hover exhibition races can draw in new crowds and new revenue.
9. Ice fishing, Hunting, Fishing- Whether tournament or novelist the hover is a smart choice in addition to camouflage the unit and it is the perfect mobile duck blind. Enclose the cockpit area and it is a toasty warm ice fishing shanty no packing and unpacking equipment just fly up to your favorite spot even if it is on thin ice or at the edge of the ice set the unit down shut off the engine fire up your heater and stay warm dry and safe. Meal time heat up your meal on your built in stove and enjoy. Add a small generator and watch your favorite program while you fish, camp out on the ice over night if you want. If the ice brakes away under you drop anchor and keep on fishing. For more information and or ideas contact me at the email under about me to the right of this article.

golf cart hovercraft

Congratulations Neoteric on landing a spot on a well watched TV show with a couple of great shots of the hover. I'm curious about a couple of things with regard to the hover on the golf course. Noise, first I don't know that much about golf but from what I understand they like to have it rather quiet and tranquil on the golf course. Second slide how you going to keep people from sliding into trees and other golfers when they are on the course. Having flown for a lot of years I am well aware of the new pilot’s hazard of sliding into things due to the nature of the Ground Effect on the hover. Now what happens when you fly across grass? Debris is lifted up and blown out the back. On pristine course this might not be much of a problem but on the typical course pilots are not going to like the mess.

I do not see hovers replacing the golf cart on the course, at least not in their current state, however I do believe that the hover would and will make a great addition to the grounds keeper arsenal. The hover is actually the ideal machine for moving equipment over the delicate surface of the course. The hover skirts gently rake the grass and the air blows the debris away. What is left is an incredibly healthy patch of grass. The hover's ability to carry weight without impacting the surface also makes it a great tool for the grounds keeper and the fact that it does not press down on the surface allows you to fly over a green without damaging it.

Winter flying on golf courses could boost the revenue of the course in the northern states where the course is not being used in the winter but that is the topic of another posting so I will wait on that one. However if someone would like to see for themselves before spending the money on a golf cart hover please contact us we are always up for a spin in the hover.