According to its makers, sea gliders could be “The future of maritime mobility.” The Regent Seaglider is a 12-electric motor, 12 passenger (and two crew members) WIG – Wing In Ground effect machine.
“The first flight took place at REGENT’s headquarters on Narragansett Bay, R.I., with a crew of two captains aboard. The Seaglider flew a distance of 1,956 ft (596 m) at a height of 33 ft (10m) above the water for 30 seconds.”
The company explains, “Viceroy is REGENT’s flagship Seaglider vessel, a 12 passenger vehicle that operates exclusively over water, traversing the sea in one of three modes: hull, hydrofoil, or flight in ground effect. Seagliders have 160 nautical mile range with existing battery technology (upgradeable to over 400 nautical mile range with next generation battery technology).
Billy Thalheimer Explains It All
Tri-modal travel in smooth transitions is a different way to see the world, but one which Seaglider passengers should enjoy. Billy Thalheimer, co-founder of the Regent firm, and its CEO, has taken steps to make all three modes enjoyable, and above all, safe. To that end, Regent hired software engineers from the maritime, aviation, and automotive industries, and tasked them with developing controls that would allow full authority from calm harbors to unpredictable open seas.
Within a seaside harbor, Seaglider will be a boat, restricted to strict nautical rules for speed and clearance from other vessels. As it leaves the confines, Seaglider can pick up speed and rise on its foils, with directional and height control supplied by triple-redundant systems.
Each passenger will have a window seat, great legroom with seats at a 34-inch pitch, and a quiet space to take it all in. A stand-up cabin adds to the spacious feeling
Regent has a solid order book, including Hawaiian Airlines, Mokulele Airlines, Fly the Whale (an executive charter operation out of NYC, The Twenty Five, Mesa Airlines, a United subsidiary, and the United States Marine Corps. Foreign customers include Japan Airlines and Yamato Transport, among others.
A future could include carrying passengers and cargo, performing rescue missions, MEDEVAC (medical evacuation with medical personnel,), CASEVAC (medical evacuation with available, non-medical personnel), and ISR, or Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance — enhanced by silent operation against the sonic backdrop of coastal operations. Approaches to hostile shores would be made in a sweet zone above SONAR and below RADAR.
Marine Corps plans include Seagliders of varying sizes, technologies
Whatever its missions, and despite a 30-second initial jaunt, the Regent Seaglider Viceroy shows formidable promise. Remember, the Wright Brothers started it all with a 12-second hop.