A firefighter's work is never done. When it comes to the job responsibilities of the modern firefighter, the list is much longer than many of us may initially realize. Gone are the days of chasing cats out of trees; the job description of your average firefighter actually reads more like that of a superhero. From putting out fires to executing intense and extremely dangerous rescue missions, many fire departments serve as their local community's first response rescue squads, reporting to the scene of a wide range of accidents and highly dangerous situations.

Such is the case for the Perry Clear Creek Fire Department in Perry Clear Creek, Indiana. According to resident firefighter, Joe McWhorter, Jr., the demanding nature of the job resulted in the Department's acquisition of a hovercraft.

"We once had to carry a 300 lb. person on a backboard across some questionable open ice," McWhorter describes."Sure, we wear rescue suits for things like this, but they are not made for long hikes over open ice. If we get hurt while performing a rescue, all we've done is become another victim, making the job twice as hard. It's times like that when a hovercraft comes into play. The hovercraft is like a life insurance policy for our guys - that's what it boils down to."

However, McWhorter notes, a hovercraft pilot is not going to get very far without the proper training. Obtaining a hovercraft may be part one of the equation, but learning how to properly maneuver and maintain the craft is the second, equally important component. Without the training provided by Hovercraft Training Centers, "you're just not going to get very far," he warns. "Sure you might get somewhere, from point A to point B, but what happens when you get to point B?"

For the Perry Clear Creek Fire Department, training on a wide range of equipment and machinery is just part of the job. However, as McWhorter explains, it isn't completing the training that is the tricky part – it's keeping the training interesting for both the older and younger firefighters.

"It's a constant struggle to get them involved in training, but with the hovercraft, it's much easier to keep them interested and entertained."

Training sessions with Hovercraft Training Centers establish the confidence, mastery and experience necessary for any pilot to truly make the most of their hovercraft. But aside from the technical prowess gained, training also helps to set lasting habits that directly contribute to a pilot's long-term success with their craft.

"Learning good habits from the start is probably the best teaching tool an instructor can put forth," McWhorter explains. "Our HTC training definitely started good habits for us."

HTC training pilots have instructed light hovercraft flight and maintenance since 1976 …

Since 1960, a team of Australian engineers have devoted their lives to hovercraft development and flight training …

Photo gallery

Meet our Graduates

A select group of hovercraft pilots graduates from 2000 to the present day …