The founder and CEO of Southern Airways Express, the Part 135 Essential Air Service (EAS) carrier acquired by Surf Air Mobility in 2023, is betting on all-electric seagliders to reshape coastal travel in the U.S.
Recently established luxury travel club The Twenty Five (XXV)—which plans to offer members trips on Regent Craft’s Viceroy, designed to float, hydrofoil, and fly in ground effect a few feet above the water’s surface—on Wednesday made a splash with the appointment of Stan Little as its chairman.
Little, who co-founded Southern Airways in 2013, will spearhead the private club’s ambitions to create seaglider routes such as from Miami to the Bahamas. XXV envisions members being able to enjoy breakfast in Manhattan, lunch in the Hamptons, and dinner on Martha’s Vineyard. The club’s name alludes to adding an “extra hour” to the 24-hour day by slashing travel times for its members.
Southern Airways in 2021, under Little’s leadership, placed firm deposits for seven 12-passenger Viceroy seagliders, which are designed to fly trips up to 180 miles cruising at about 180 mph. Regent claims future improvements in battery energy density will extend the range to about 500 miles.
XXV on Wednesday said it has a purchase order for up to 60 Regent seagliders, double what the partners announced earlier this year. It added that it is advancing toward “initial route launches,” which also include Boston to Nantucket and Palm Beach to Miami.
The club said deliveries are expected in 2027 and that Little’s appointment coincides with a shift “from platform development into active deployment.” It is betting on the Southern Airways chief, who built the carrier into one of the nation’s largest commuter airlines, to bring that vision to fruition.
XXV bills itself as the “initial launch partner” for the Viceroy, for which Regent says it has secured hundreds of orders valued at $10 billion. In March, it said it would handle the “end-to-end experience … that extends beyond the Seaglider vessel itself.” Hornblower Group, a passenger vessel operator, is the club’s exclusive operating partner.
Categorized as a Type A wing-in-ground craft and regulated as a maritime vessel, the Viceroy will be operated by maritime captains who secure a type rating. The U.S. Coast Guard is overseeing its certification with technical support from the FAA. Regent aims to begin test flights with humans on board later this year, targeting certification in the coming months.
What They’re Getting
Regent’s flagship Viceroy combines hydrofoils—essentially underwater aerofoils—with autonomous control systems, sensors, and blown-lift propulsion technology similar to Electra’s EL9 Ultra Short, which the company says enables efficient, zero-emission flight over water. Forward and backward propulsion comes from propellers powered by 12 redundant electric motors.
Unlike eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxis, which are designed to soar over cities, Viceroy is intended to always remain within one wingspan of the water, linking destinations along the coastline. Ground effect flight—typically about 20 feet above the surface—is its fastest mode of operation. The craft’s hydrofoils retract into its deep-V hull over open water.
Viceroy can also rise up on its foils for a smoother, more controlled ride near harbors, or float like a boat at docks and marinas. It is designed to fit into existing dock infrastructure.
The craft is commanded using a single lever thrust control and fly-by-wire system, with digital interfaces displaying moving maps, radar, traffic advisories, and other information. Regent is developing a six-week Viceroy captain training program that comprises online coursework, classroom instruction, simulation, and live training in the vessel.
Regent in March 2025 began testing with full-scale Viceroy prototypes and has been putting aircraft on the water multiple times per week near its Rhode Island headquarters. The aircraft will be produced at a 255,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the state. As of March, the company said it was “continuing its hydrofoiling campaign,” implying the prototype has not yet flown in ground effect.
According to Regent, Viceroy will be capable of making the trip from Providence, Rhode Island, to Martha’s Vineyard in just 35 minutes compared to nearly 3 hours by car and boat. It estimates 40 minutes for a seaglider ride from Miami to Palm Beach, about an hour from Boston to Nantucket, and one hour and 15 minutes from Manhattan to Montauk in the Hamptons.
Little’s Southern Airways in 2021 placed an order for five of Regent’s 100-passenger Monarch craft, which are intended for 400-mile trips cruising at a slightly slower 160 mph. The company is also developing an autonomous, hybrid-electric variant of the Viceroy as well as a military model called the Squire, which it is testing simultaneously. The Squire made its first ground effect flight in April.
