U.S. National Hover Rally 2016

Saturday Sept. 3, 2016
I have never attended a hover rally of any kind, mostly because of distance and timing. This year's National Rally, hosted by Hoverclub of America, was in Muscatine IA. which is only 2.5 hours away from our home, my schedule was clear, so we decided to make the trip.

Never having been to a rally, I was not sure what to expect, my wife had just had surgery two weeks ago, which prevented her from flying with me, not knowing the facility and whether my wife would be comfortable if I was out hovering, I decided not to take my hover, but to attend as a spectator. A decision I regretted the moment we arrived. The Muscatine Riverside Park, was a very nice facility with various accommodations. The park runs along the waterfront of the downtown area so it is not remote like some places hovercrafters frequent, and the ladies in attendance were all very nice and welcomed us as friends. Hover people seem to be like that.

I met up with my friend Bill Zang from UH, had a very nice talk with him about the Renegade Hovercraft, and he introduced me to several of our fellow hovercrafters, which ranged from first time craft builders, to old pros. What a variety of people, we had young, old, novice, pro racers, and male and female pilots. Also as always, Bill's uncle, the legendary Bob Windt was there having a great time flying. If you ever get a chance to be around Bob and Bill just sit back and listen, you will walk away filled with knowledge about hovercraft and hovercrafting. Bob is an interesting guy even without the hovers. A few months ago Bob was up in the Rockford IL area at an event with Bill, I met Bob for the first time, officially. Whenever you see Bob he will typically have young people with him. On that particular day there were about four young teenagers with him. I watched as he instructed these young people, in lessons about hovers, engines, wildlife, and just life in general, it was like they were on a field trip with an old outdoorsman guide. What an amazing guy.

One of the pilots Jason Kuehn, from Hoverstream, offered plenty of information about his hovers, which are sold retail in the US. Jason was also kind enough to take me on a short hover ride, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Hoverstream Coastal Pro 2, is a well built quiet flying machine, accommodating up to three people. 
The CP2 is a very sleek machine. The ride was smooth and steady. Many thanks to Jason.

There were several home-built hovers on hand as well. While we did not stay for the evening banquet our three hours on site were a complete success. I would highly recommend attending this event in the future, and the next time I'm taking my hover no matter what.

Renegade by Universal Hovercraft

 

For years UH has had a presence in the hovercraft industry. Recently they have started making some interesting innovative strides with the new Renegade two person hovercraft. I have had the privilege of visiting their factory and discussing future plans with President Bill Zang and learning about the many features of this new breed of hovercraft. UH is moving into a new era with the Renegade and it's technology, by seeking to offer a smooth running quiet hover with ever improving design.  When talking with Bill you will hear phrases like "what does the air want to do" "blending different composites" and "Style and comfort" of course my favorite is "faster". The nice thing about the changes, the existing Renegades can be upgraded, allowing current owners of the Renegade to improve as changes are made. The Renegade is light weight (currently weighing in around 350 lbs)

One feature that UH has not changed is you have an option, Kit or Turn Key. For those having the ability to follow instructions and the patience to work at putting the hover together you can save several thousands of dollars by assembling your hover yourself. However UH doesn't stop there they also offer a partially assembled unit for people like me who are all thumbs. All of this means UH is heading toward fulfilling a commitment to expanding the hovercraft market and helping as many would be hover pilots as possible, start their own exciting hovercraft adventure. I look forward to working with UH and offering the Renegade as another choice to my customers at TLS WindSled. For more information on the Renegade or to schedule a Pit Pass Lesson and experience the Renegade yourself please go to  www.hovercraftusa.org  and select contact. Under enter message request a Pit Pass and we will provide you with instructions for scheduling and payment.

S.W.A.T. River Tours

Well we are off on another adventure into the Mississippi River area where there is always something to do. This time out Linda found this interesting offer which turned out to be an incredible fun and educational trip. 

Captain John does an excellent job of pointing out historical points along the tour as well as having a good knowledge of the river and it's personality. The tour is an hour of constant movement and new sights to take in. From Native American stories to early settler information the tour covers it all. John also has a few surprise guests he will introduce you to along the way. We highly recommend this adventure and encourage anyone traveling in the Dubuque Iowa area to contact the folks at S.W.A.T. River Tours and schedule your tour. You won't be disappointed! I give this a 5 star rating for clean, professional, fun adventures.  

S.W.A.T. River Tours

Port of Dubuque Marina

Dubuque, Iowa 52001

www.swatrivertours.com

Tel: 563-590-6300

Fort Myers Beach Florida

When we first arrived in Fort Myers Beach we weren't sure we were going to like spending a week there. It didn't appear to have a lot to offer and I didn't immediately see any good eating places. First impressions can be deceiving.
What we discovered was a more natural beach with more wild life than we had experienced at other Florida beaches. Near our condo were 3 saltwater lagoons teaming with birds and aquatic life. Nestled away among the residential houses and buildings were some very nice eateries that blend so well with the residential buildings they are not immediately identified. Then there is the Boardwalk and what I call the strip, which is a series of shops and various eateries that are all within walking distance. There is a trolley that runs all day and into the night if you decide not to drive and park (pay per park and it is limited) the trolley can transport you along Estero Blvd. which is the main artery.
We also discovered that traveling at no more than 45 MPH with an average speed on the island of 35 MPH is not a bad thing. If you're from Chicago area like we are 35 MPH is unheard of.

Linda and I try to do something different each time we go travel and on this trip we decided to tame it down and a little more laid back, we decided on a sunset cruise. I know "yawner", so we looked up anything in the area and found Fort Myers Princess Sunset Cruises of Fort Myers Beach. Groupon had a coupon so at least it was not going to cost us a lot. The Princess is locally owned by Dan Heselton and on this cruise Capt. Josh was piloting the Princess.

The Capt. and crew were excellent hosts pointing out the various sites along the way and providing photo opportunities. We had calm waters and a beautiful sunset. Then when the sun went down things turned a little wild. The Captain turned on the party lights, converted the sunset cruise ship into a party boat, cranked up the music and people started dancing. What fun! Did I mention they have a bar on board? I heard someone say "What happens on the Princess stays on the Princess"! Dan and his crew made the entire cruise interesting and fun. If you are ever in Fort Myers Beach Florida make sure you look up the Princess and her crew, take the two hour sunset or the daytime dolphin cruise you won't regret it. The price is very reasonable, the boat very clean and comfortable, and the crew is outstanding. At the end of our cruise I met Dan and discussed briefly the idea of placing a hovercraft down in his area, won't that be awesome. Looking forward to returning to Fort Myers Beach with my hovercraft and doing some exploring of the area. Check out the Fort Myers Princess at www.fortmyersprincess.com

Saugatuck/Douglas Michigan

We arrived on Thursday night it was quite cool around 46 degrees. The little condo we rented for our two night stay was very nice, our compliments to the folks at the Beachway Resort for providing us with a very nice clean condo and a very friendly and helpful staff. We were actually their first guest of the season but the room was ready. My wife and I rented this condo so we could enjoy sitting on the patio and relaxing, however 46 degrees with a 10 mph wind blowing in from Lake Michigan and down the Kalamazoo river made for a very short time on the patio the first night. With that plan cut short we decided to check out the town.

What wonderful little towns with so many unique shops and things to see. I was not aware that Saugatuck & Douglas communities were such popular tourist destinations but after spending just two days there I could see why. Art galleries, ice cream shops, fudge shops, clothing stores, and wine shops like Petter Wine Gallery in Douglas (you have to stop by and say hi if you are in the area) with an attached art gallery was a fun stop during our stay. The stay was one of the most enjoyable we've had in quite a while.

Petter Wine Gallery 161 N. Blue Star Hwy, Douglas, MI 49406

However my attention was drawn away from all of that by the Kalamazoo River. Deep out to the lake but shallow out to the east, I've always been fascinated by the Kalamazoo, for years Linda and I have traveled across it on our way up toward Grand Rapids and I've always wanted to hover on the river and never had the chance. So wouldn't you know it the one time we actually not only stop by it by stay on it I do not have my hover. Of course that didn't stop me from checking it out and talking to the locals. I am told the east end of the water way heading east from Saugatuck right on the edge of Douglas, the river gets real shallow and boats have a hard time navigating it do to the sand bars and patchy swamp areas that stretch out for about 10 miles to the east.

I have to tell you June will find me back at Saugatuck, Douglas with the hover. After our enjoyable stay and a warm up in temperature on Friday and Saturday we had plenty of sun and patio time watching the boats run up and down the river, we will definitely be back and the next time it will be hover time.

View of the Beachway condo and Kalamazoo River North

Traverse City Michigan U S A

It is late fall and typically all of the fall colors have peaked by now, but not this year. We arrived in Traverse City late afternoon, the sun was glistening off the bay and the colors of fall were in full bloom. Our room at the Cherry Tree Inn is the penthouse suite overlooking the bay and from our vantage point we can see the peninsulas jetting out both sides and the islands out beyond them. Lake Michigan and the Traverse bay are a beautiful aqua color reminding us of the waters down around Destin Florida, the water is calm low wind and perfect for hovering. I began to ask around and discovered that the bay typically does not freeze over in the winter and yet last year it froze for the first time in about 10 years. The surrounding inland lakes and the numerous bays along this part of the Great Lakes make this the perfect place for hovercraft. The  open waters of Lake Michigan can be rather treacherous during the late fall and the winter months so the bays and inland lakes offer some of the best waters for recreational hovering and the views are spectacular. In addition to hovering the area offers numerous shopping opportunities from gourmet to down home. Wine tasting is almost a sport in this areas with more wineries than most places have corner gas stations. Traverse City also offers the site seer sand dunes and incredible hiking trails, not to mention the cherry orchards which produce some of the best cherries in the world and the area provides you with everything cherry from chocolate covered cherries to cherry wine. During the fishing season there are charter services and boat rentals all over the area. Biking trails and scenic drives are abundant. The area offers up about every outdoor activity imaginable including snow sports during the winter. The restaurants in the area have a diverse menu so bring your appetites.

If you are looking for a great place to vacation any time of the year I highly recommend Traverse City Michigan USA.

AirBoats and Alligators

In the past I have written strictly about Hovercraft in this blog, but my Backwater Adventures have taken me to other places using various means of transportation. On a  recent trip to Florida we decided to try an air boat to discover the difference and or similarities. Our captain for the day was Greg (shown in the picture to the right) a very personable southern gentleman who assured us from the start that he had many years of air boat experience. It did not take long to discover for ourselves that he was telling the truth. It was fun to watch his maneuvering through areas that were less than adequate for the size of air boat we were in. The boat was powered by a 450 HP V8. The Hostess Sharon, who signed us up was very friendly and most helpful. The tour took just over an hour and Greg allowed a young man about 11 to sit next to him and be our gator spotter. The lake contains over 3000 alligators so in our hour tour we spotted or at least counted 56, in addition to the gators the lake is also home to snakes, turtles, wild animals including panthers, and various local and migrating water birds,. The air boat is a unique vehicle with many of the hovercraft characteristics with one exception, it is on the water and land not above it like a hovercraft. If you have never tried air boating I recommend it for the simple reason it allows you to make an informed decision when purchasing a hovercraft. I will not be trading off my hover for an air boat but it was a fun trip. All in all the cruise cost is fun and worth the time to take it. If you are in the Naples FL. area look them up and take the tour. Tell them Terry from TLS WindSled sent you, they may give you a discount. Thank you Capt. Greg and Airboats & Alligators for a fun and informative outing.

 Airboats & Alligators

6001 Lake Trafford Rd., Immokalee, FL 34142

239-657-2401

  
All Photos of Airboats & Alligators are courtesy of TripAdvisor

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.

Snowmobile hovering

Funny how many people are surprised that the hover can travel over snow? Something just doesn’t seem to click when it comes to the ability of the hovercraft. Some of my best hover experiences have come during my winter flights either over a snow covered field or a frozen river or lake. The great thing about the hover on snow is the smoothness of the ride. The hover doesn’t just run over the snow it flies over it so the ride you get compared to a snowmobile or an ATV is totally different. Your hover actually floats over the ground like a bird and it makes no impact on the surface below. I have a local sod farm that has no issue with me flying my hover over his sod fields year round. He and I have talked about this in the past and he hates having snowmobiles run over his property because of the damage it does to the sod. ATV’s believe it or not also pack the sod when they run across the surface even with the snow covering. The hover however has a footprint equal to a seagull standing on one foot which is virtually no impact at all.

When you operate on slushy snow the hover is incredibly fast much like it is over flat smooth ice, when you fly over powder snow you get about the same amount of blow as you do when you are on water. What snow provides you with is a greater opportunity to fly. A little snow over an open field and you can basically fly your hover anywhere. A lot of snow and you can go where snowmobiles will typically bog down. Plus when you land you have such a wider impact surface that you don’t sink in.

Picture with me if you will flying on a river that is partially frozen, skimming over the ice and water with equal ease, you spot an open field that you want to explore so you point your hover toward the 4 foot bank and gun the engine the hover shoots up over the bank of the river that is snow covered and you go airborne as you clear the top of the riverbank. You land on the other side of the bank in an open field where no one has attacked the virgin snow. Your flying experience is awesome as you realize you are probably the only one who will view that spot on earth for a long time to come.

I’m looking forward to the 2012/13 winter season using my Hoverjet GT. This is an experience you have to try.

 

 

Survey hovercraft Gateway Services

To my knowledge Gateway Services Group are the first to utilize a hovercraft for survey purposes in the US. While the USGS has operated two Hovertechnics hovercraft for several years, Gateway Services Group has taken a bold step into the future by purchasing a hovercraft for use in their surveys for the pipeline industry. According to team member CB the situations they find themselves in requires a piece of equipment that can operate on a variety of surfaces and they believe the hovercraft will be the machine that will allow them to easily reach areas that previously they could not reach. On October 30th 2012 Gateway launched into a new era by purchasing and training their team as hover pilots. With a group of about 12 team members present on training day, we realized there are a lot of items that need to be ironed out with regard to use of the hover in the pipeline survey industry. According to SM a manager for Gateway Services Group the fact that the unit is registered as a boat but can be used as an ATV raises some interesting issues when it comes to regulations and safety requirements. The hovercraft is a crossover vehicle that operates as easily on water as it does on land, mud, and ice. While the Texas based company is doubtful they will see much ice they have had great concerns over reaching remote areas and moving people and equipment in and out of these areas.

Thank you, Gateway for choosing TLS WindSled as your supplier and for having the future vision to use a hovercraft in your industry. In future articles we will discuss some lessons we learned from partnering with Gateway and some innovative ideas it has spawned.

Prague OK Gateway servcies new hover

The road from Belvidere IL to Prague OK is a long one about 13 hours however the drive is awesome with clear skies and low wind. I've been listening to the weather reports and Hurricane Sandy is about to reach clear back into Chicago so being in Oklahoma is not a bad thing right now. My new customer Gateway Services Group is waiting for their new Hoverstar LC, I'm looking forward to delivering it to them and training some new hover pilots. We put a new type of coating on the upper hull of the hovercraft that should protect it against any obstacles they may run into (as new pilots often due) but this coating will also prevent the gel coat cracking that we've experienced in the past so I'm really excited about placing this new hover with them. Gateway is a survey company that has several other businesses and I am very happy to be working with them. My contacts at Gateway have been very nice people and I am looking forward to meeting them in person. I have about 2 hours left before the delivery and training session so I'm trying to put together all the last minute things I need to go over so I am prepared. New hovers to non-hover people is always a fun time, the look on their faces the first sight of the hover and the comments after they fly it for the first time are a huge reward. The hover travels over the surface like nothing you've ever experienced. I will be posting more about the delivery later.

Hovercraft Rescue Safely

It has always been a wonder to me that more fire and rescue departments don't use hovercraft as a rescue vehicle, with the ability to travel over land, water, snow, and ice it would seem to be a no brainer that the hovercraft is the most economical unit to purchase. To accomplish all the task a hover can do a department would need to purchase a boat, a snowmobile, and an ATV to be able to cover the same surface areas. Even if they purchased these vehicles it would fall short of the hovercraft. For instance, if you were traveling over ice on a snowmobile and it broke through it would be tough trying to go back and get the boat. Or consider this, if you are traveling along on water in your boat and you suddenly run into shallows with rocks, now wat do you do? In a hovercraft you simply continue on your way and complete the task at hand. The hover will travel over snow of any depth so if you need to rescue a person from the middle of a snow covered area you simply fly your hover to them. Due to the low footprint of the hover it is the perfect vehichle to perform mud rescue. The great thing about using a hovercraft for rescue is you can do it from the safety of the hover. No more climbing out to a victim on ladders or in inflatable suits, you simply fly up to the victim and pull them into the hovercraft and fly away. I was speaking with a Fire Chief recently and he was telling of a rescue they performed on ice, he said it took them nearly 45 minutes to get to the victim, he then asked me how long it would take if they used a hover and since the person was only 200 yards off shore I told him probably about 2-3 minutes from the time you launch the hover from the shore line to the point of returning. Huge difference when it comes to situations where time is of the essence. In addition to the reduction of time you would also eliminate or at least greatly reduce the danger factor for the rescue workers because they would not have to exit the hovercraft in most cases and if you did your rescue platform would be right there with you.  If you have any questions about using a hovercraft in your area for rescue purposes please contact me.

Asian Carp Hovercraft use

I first heard about Asian Carp a couple of years ago, I know you’re thinking "was this guy asleep or what?” to be honest with you I hadn't been to interested or concerned about them. Once I heard about them I started to research their presence and the impact on the environment and wondered if they actually do fly like I was reading. As a follow up to my research I decided to take a little trip down to Bath Illinois and check out the "Redneck Fishing Tournament" that was quite an experience, however it did not provide me with the answer to the question I had about how the hover would affect the fish. The only way to discover the answer was to fly with the fish so one day in late August I packed up my Hoverjet GT and headed toward Starved Rock State Park. After showing the park Ranger how the hover takes off on land (he was impressed) I headed off into the river for my Asian Carp adventure. Let me start this off by telling you everybody I spoke with told me not to travel the shore line in the shallows because they like to hang out there, so where do you suppose I headed, that's right the shore line. I flew the shore line for about two miles and saw nothing. I have to admit I was a bit confused by what I wasn't finding, with all I had read on these pest I truly thought I would face a barrage of flying fish. My experience now was disappointing to say the least, nothing not one carp, wait I take that back there was one it was floating belly up on the surface due to a boat strike. I decided to leave the main channel of the Illinois River and venture down the Vermillion. I turned down the Vermillion and as I traveled the river narrowed then it entered an area of rock, not rocks but boulders, so I had to slow down to maneuver around them, that's when it happened, a fish about 15 inches long leaped over the front of the hover. I have to tell you it scared the jeepers out of me but then the adrenalin kicked in and I was now in the hunt. What I noticed was that when I went fast and was flying over the surface I had no effect on the carp at all, that is probably due to the low environmental impact of a hover on the surface, when I slowed however it sets up a vibration in the water that will typically cause bass and other fish to leap. Now I was onto something if I wanted to avoid the fish fly fast if I wanted to stir the things fly slowly. Then I realized I probably didn’t want the stupid things jumping up and hitting me in the head so I decided to wait on hunting them until another day when I was more protected so I headed back home and started to design a protection cage for my next Asian Carp hunt. By the spring of 2013 my partner and I will be back on the Illinois and this time we’ll be ready for the Flying Fish, and this time we will be able to take pictures and video of the things. I can’t wait to go hunting on the Illinois next season. But wait a minute someone told me they are less active but still around in the winter. Hmm I wonder if I should try winter Flying Fish hunting?

Hover Sharing

Hovercrafts for the most part are what people consider an expensive toy. However when you stop and consider that you're getting a boat, snowmobile, and an ATV all in one machine the price of the hover averages out to a much lower cost factor. While the hover can do nearly everything a boat can do it typically won't travel as fast as a boat with the same horsepower, on the other hand a 10 foot boat for instance could not handle 3 to four foot waves, nor will it run up on land and then back to water, and try running your boat of any size on ice solid or thin and see what happens. The hover won't run quite as fast as a snowmobile but then it doesn't sink in the snow when you stop, it can travel on a partially frozen river or lake and if you break through the ice it won't sink. When it comes to ATV the hover allows you travel on land over various surfaces and while it will not climb the type of grades or the rough surface that most ATV's can travel over the hover will travel over mud like no ATV can and if you stop on the mud surface it will not sink. If you think about the cost of a 10 foot hover that will carry two people and then price out a boat that will carry two people you'll find the boat cost about five to eight thousand less than the hover, but then you have to add in the snowmobile and ATV options which means you add around six to eight thousand for an ATV and another eight to twelve thousand for the snowmobile and your savings buying any one of these recreational vehicles disappears and is actually higher by about eight to twelve thousand dollars. Still not convinced? Well we at TLS WindSled have decided to help you experience hovercrafting at a fraction of the cost through our hover share program. For a very low one time price you can share in the ownership of a hover and not just one but multiple sizes of hovers. Through this unique program you can own a two, three, and up to a seven person hover the sharing the cost of purchase with several different owners. If you would like to know more go to our web site and click the tab GT Hover Share and discover whether this program is something you could use to experience hovercrafting at a very affordable price. Participants fly hovers that are never more than 2 years old always maintained, gassed up, and insured ready for fun flying. We have group rates available so check it out at www.hovercraftusa.org

Happy Hovering

Treasure Hunting Hovercraft Style 2

Phil and I tried everything to get my hover started and after about 15 minutes of no success we started talking about options. About two hundred yards from us was a private boat ramp that Phil thought we might be able to use so he jumped in the river and started walking up toward the ramp to ask the owner if we could use it to drag my hover out of the river. While Phil was walking up to the neighbors I kept messing with the hover and getting things ready to tow it by hand up to the neighbors or anchor it to Phil’s dock if that was my only option. Phil came back after about 15 minutes and said the neighbor was good with us using his ramp so Phil said "I'm already wet so I might as well tow the hover up to the ramp, my wife is on her way home so she can take you to your vehicle and you can meet me over at the ramp and we'll load this thing up. With that he took the rope and with hover in tow began to walk toward the ramp. I climbed the hill back up to his house and waited for his wife. When Dee arrived we headed to my car and retrieved it and the trailer then it was back to the private ramp. When I got back there I backed down the long hill to the boat ramp and did what I seldom do, I backed my trailer into the water to load my hover. When I backed up I noticed the trailer seemed to stop so we decided that was far enough and floated the hover up onto the trailer. I strapped it down and started to pull out. My front wheel drive dug in and then spun the tires, I backed up and got a little bit of a nudge and tried again and with that the vehicle moved about a foot and a half and dropped off the concrete onto gravel and spun again. After about 5 tries of doing that Phil said he thought I was stuck in the river mud with the back of the trailer, he felt around on the back of the trailer and sure enough I had scooped up about a thousand pounds of mud and it was keeping me from pulling out. We floated the hover off the trailer again and I tried to pull the empty trailer out of the water but still it wouldn't budge, so Phil said he would get his all-wheel drive SUV and pull it out. So Dee went to get their other vehicle, when she got back we pulled on the trailer and it still wouldn't budge so Phil checked the back of the trailer and it was embedded in the mud about two feet. We decided that we would have to get some of the mud off the back of the trailer and so Phil and I proceeded to shovel the mud with our feet. It was like pushing lead powder and in the 103 degree temperature I was feeling the effects of the heat. All the time we were trying to do this I kept thinking, "Great I come out here to treasure hunt and all I get is one problem after another". After about 10 minutes we finally got enough mud off the back of the trailer for Dee to pull the trailer ahead enough to get out of the mud, we then pushed the hover up on the trailer with two of us pushing and Dee pulling the front with a rope and the hover went about two thirds of the way up on the trailer and stopped. The hover was full of water in the inner hull and was too heavy to lift so Phil suggested we strap it down pull off the ramp turn around on the hill leading to the ramp and let the hover slide up the rest of the way on the trailer. This guy was smart he obviously had done this before and at this point with the sun beating down on us and I was ready to just leave the thing in the ater and let it float away forever. Phil is an interesting guy he always stays calm and just figures out whatever he has to make it work, last winter he was out fishing by himself, tripped while moving around in his boat an fell into the freezing cold river with no life jacket on. As he fell into the water his head struck the boat motor and cut his head just above the eye, he managed to pull himself back into the boat soaking wet and bleeding he motored back to his house about a mile away climbed the 200 feet up the 40% grade hill to his house and got patched up. All I can say is "he is amazing" not real bright sometimes (no life jacket and alone) but he is also amazing. After loading my brick of a hover on the trailer strapping it down and moving up to the top of the hill we switched the trailer over to my vehicle and I was ready to go. The home owners had left and were now back so I could meet them and thank them for allowing me to use there ramp, Mike the homeowner said, "No problem if you ever want to use the ramp again feel free". He offered us a cool adult beverage to help soothe the wounded ego and refresh ourselves after the ordeal but by then all I could think of was getting this hover home and collapsing in a chair and licking my wounds so I declined thanked them and headed toward the house. "How disappointing", I thought, "I had all these plans of finding treasure and all I got was frustrated and cost Phil, his wife and two perfect strangers some grief" all that and no treasure! Then it dawned on me, Phil, Dee, had just spent 3 hours of their Saturday in 103 degree heat helping me load my hover onto the trailer at a perfect strangers ramp who has offered to allow me to use it whenever I want to. I guess I found some real treasure after all, it wasn't the precious metal I could exchange for money it was incredible friendship and generosity of the people who helped me. Treasure is not someone else’s lost valuables it is friendship and kindness and with that I realized Me and my hover became a little richer that day and I found a treasure that is rare and extremely valuable.

Treasure hunting hovercraft style

My buddy Phil lives on the Rock River, the other day I was talking to him about the draught in this area back in 1987. I told him back then I wanted to take the hover over to the Mississippi and use a metal detector to see if I could find anything of value. He said "I can get a metal detector, bring your hover down to my place and we'll see if we can find anything on the Rock". I wanted to get my hover out so I figured this was as good a reason as any so we made plans to meet up on Saturday and give it a try. I had my hover in the shop trying to take care of an annoying electrical problem and my mechanic finally thought he had it fixed so I planned to check it out first then stop by Phil’s place and we’d launch from there. When I arrived at the river where I planned on starting a trial run I was shocked at how low the river was and how much sand and gravel bars were exposed. It was interesting to see what the contour of this river bottom was really like I’d heard a lot of horror stories by boaters who never run their boats in the part of the river because there is a channel that keep shifting and boaters are constantly hitting rocks and breaking props. After eyeballing the small channel where there was some water flowing I could see why boaters don’t like this portion of the river. It was actually rather fun flying out there where I knew the boats could not go. As I took off from the launch and rounded the south corner of the Ace of Diamonds launch I was using I caught a glimpse of two Eagles just setting out on a flight, it was an awesome site. Then I noticed the bugs, thousands of them and my hover was spitting them up at me as I flew along. I thought I should have brought my helmet with a face shield. It’s the one bad thing about flying on a river in low water; I would imagine they have a perfect habitat for hatching out. Oh well got to take the good with the bad so on I went. My hover started perfectly at my house and at my launch site and now it was running really well no hesitation and lots of power. I felt like we were in for a great time on the river. As I approached Phil’s place I saw him standing out on what used to be his floating dock but it was now just a wood platform on some barrels sitting on dry ground. It’s actually a real shame when the river drops down this low but then it just reduces the number of boaters you have to watch out for. I pulled up to Phil’s dock area landed on some rather soft mud and shut the hover off so we could load up his gear. Now this is a guy who fishes nearly year round and in Northern Illinois that’s pretty amazing so I was a little surprised when he stepped up to his ankles in mud while trying to get into my hover. At any rate we got all of his stuff settled I unloaded some of the extras I brought that I really didn’t need and Phil settled into his spot in my hover. I asked if he was all set and he nodded to the affirmative and with that I hit the key and…. Nothing! The engine turned over but would not fire. Dang that really was not what I wanted to happen or should I say not happen. From that moment on it was call this friend, then my mechanic (who was not available) and then try a couple of things to get it going. I have tried to take Phil out on the hover several times but we just couldn’t seem to get the schedules together now here we were all set to go and nothing. The engine had no spark the hover just wouldn’t cooperate. To add to the situation the temperature was sitting at a cool 103 degrees and here we were stuck on the back by Phil’s dock and the closest boat ramp was 5 miles north of us or 15 miles south of us. Hovers are a blast when they run but they’re like a brick when not on cushion. Neither of these launches were a workable option for me. So now what? I’ll write more later about this experience but for now I’m going to go sip on something cool to drink while I ponder my next words.



Ok so this picture is a bit of an exaggeration but I think you get the point it was dry and really hot

Rend Lake IL

Rend Lake Illinois a manmade lake in Southern IL is one of my least favorite places. It's nothing more than an oversized gravel pit with a lousy view of nothingness, why the state of Illinois decided to plunk this ugly body of water in this location is beyond me. The water in the main lake is typically too choppy to fly on due the fact that it is wide open and the wind blows across it creating some pretty rough water. There is very little landscape in this place pretty much flat very few hills, there are no houses along its shores because it is all State Park. Most of the bays are mud bottom which gives it a brown river water appearance, I suppose before the State of Illinois "aquired" this land from its residence it may have had some nice scenery but any of that was ruined by flooding over it. The bridges to the eastern backwater are low and make it difficult to pass under to arrive at anything worth viewing and in order to get to it you have to travel to the eastern side under I 57 which isn't the problem it is the next set of bridges that are really low and at high water a hover can't pass under them. The only two redeeming qualities of the entire area is the people, they for the most part, are warm and friendly, and the fact that on what should have been the busiest days of the year there are very few boats on the lake so it's pretty desolate. If you’re looking for a fun place to hover I would recommend you stay away from Rend Lake. About the only thing they have to offer is multiple prisons. Big Muddy, Pickneyville, Centralia, and Menard, to name a few. Seriously, give me a better reason to come to Southern IL.

Redneck Fishing Tournament 2012

After last years crazy event I thought I would try to get back down to the Redneck Fishing Tournament this year with a Camo hover. So my partner Gary Hartman of G&M Motorsports will be joining me in Bath. Betty has offered to let us fly our hover between heats on Friday and Saturday as a bit of a show so we decided lets do it. After last years tournament we decided to take our hover out on the river up north of Bath to see how the Asian Carp responded to us. The results were interesting and if you show up at the Redneck this year you will see what we mean. Remember August 3 & 4 it is an event you need to be at. We will also be introducing a new program that will help anyone own a hover. We hope to have 3 or 4 hovers at the tournament this year so make sure you stop by and see us. If your interested in taking a test flight in a hover drop me an e-mail and we'll see if we can work it in during the tournament.

Draught a new experience

Boaters beware don’t follow me I’m going where you can’t. I would like to hang that sign on my hover right now. I see the water levels of many rivers around me dropping and boaters are limited to smaller and smaller areas due to prop and hull damage. One of the cool things about the hover is you don’t need water and if you are flying on water you don’t need much of it. When draughts come as they seem to do on a regular cycle hovering becomes and even more exciting experience. Flying over new sand bars discovering sunken treasures that are normally covered by water now we have access to those areas and if they happen to be mud flats they become an unexpected new experience. Flying of smooth flat mud provides you with a fast ride. Mud can be nearly as fast as smooth ice I was flying on the Pecatonica river which is notorious for its silt and I sort of forgot what I was on and jumped out of the hover when I set it down and sunk up to my knees in mud, so you have to be careful when you’re landing on the mud flats it can be more annoying than dangerous but it does make a real mess in the hover. So if your living in an area with draught or a lot of mud flats head out with your hover and have fun you are in for a really great day hovering.