Regent Seaglider Prototype Cleared for Testing

The U.S. Coast Guard's approval of the navigational safety risk assessment allows the company to test its full-scale seaglider in Rhode Island.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 04:26 PM ET

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Kimberly Johnson

Regent Craft has received a green light from the U.S. Coast Guard to test its seaglider prototype. [Courtesy: Regent Craft]

Key Takeaways:

Regent Craft has received U.S. Coast Guard approval to test its electric-powered, wing-in-ground effect seaglider prototype in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.
The Viceroy seaglider is an electric craft capable of seating up to 12 passengers, cruising at 180 mph, and flying 20-30 feet above the water with a range of 180 sm.
This regulatory clearance is a significant step towards human-on-board testing of the full-scale seaglider prototype, which Regent expects to begin by the end of the year.

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Regent Craft, the developer of electric-powered, wing-in-ground effect craft called seagliders, has received a green light from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to test its prototype, the company said Thursday.

Regent’s Viceroy seaglider seats up to 12, is capable of flying routes as long as 180 sm (156 nm) on a single charge, and is designed to combine the speed of an aircraft (cruising at 180 mph or 156 knots) with the functionality of a boat. It flies 20 to 30 feet above the water using ground effect, propelled both in the air and on the water by on-wing propellers.