More than 600 guests watched Regent Craft’s Viceroy Seaglider fly about 30 feet above Narragansett Bay off the coast of Rhode Island during the fifth test flight of the prototype passenger vessel.
“Here we have the Viceroy prototype accelerating, and watch as we pick up some speed,” Regent co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer said as the vessel took flight. “Those foils [are] lifting the hull out of the water and just being effortless.”
Two large ferry boats carried customers, suppliers and aviation, defense and finance leaders as journalists viewed the action from a smaller boat.
A maritime captain on board operated the craft, with a watch officer alongside. Each flight tests the vessel and operations, working toward U.S. Coast Guard certification, a Regent spokesperson said. As the vessel generally flies no more than 30 to 40 feet above the water surface, it does not enter the airspace regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, although the agency is cooperating with Regent, executives said.
The 12-passenger electric vessel operates in three modes: starting on its hull at low speed, transitioning to hydrofoils once clear of the dock and taking flight on a cushion of air above the water surface, according to Regent. It can fly at speeds up to 180 mph for up to 180 miles.
It flies using a phenomenon known in aviation as the “ground effect:” When a descending airplane is close to land or water, the air and pressure distortions between the wings and the surface create lift. Regent describes its vessel as a “wing-in-ground effect craft.”
Coastal cities, ferry operators and entrepreneurs are prime prospects for these vessels, Regent Vice President of Programs Larry Wirsing told Smart Cities Dive at the event. “We've actually mapped out pretty much every coastal community in the world where we think the market segment is,” he said. Trips of about 20 to 200 miles apart are prime opportunities for the Viceroy, Wirsing said.
Regent’s 255,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in North Kingston, Rhode Island, opened yesterday, but it will have to clear out the stage, seating and food tables that guests saw during a presentation following the test flights. Regent aims to deliver the first Viceroy Seaglider vessels to customers as early as late 2027 and build up to producing 75 Viceroy vessels annually from there, according to a press release.
The company also demonstrated its smaller Squire autonomous drone craft, which operates like the Seaglider but does not carry passengers. It is being developed for defense and commercial applications.
