REGENT Completes World’s First Human-Crewed Seaglider Flight
The milestone follows last week’s announcement of REGENT’s $240 million Series B funding round.
(North Kingstown, Rhode Island) Seaglider developer REGENT announced today (Sept. 2) that its prototype vessel, Viceroy, has successfully completed its first human-crewed flight – making it the largest-ever all-electric wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft to fly with people on board, according to the company.
Image of REGENT’s Viceroy seaglider in flight (or, rather, sea-gliding) courtesy of REGENT.
Per Regent, the flight “marks the first time a wing-in-ground effect vessel has been engineered and readied for commercial and defense operation at scale — solidifying America’s leadership in ground effect flight and positioning REGENT as the pioneer of this transformative transportation technology.”
The milestone follows REGENT’s announcement last week (Aug. 27) that the company completed its $240 million Series B in a round co-led by Mare Liberum and AE Ventures, with debt capital provided by Erebor Bank.
In its Series B announcement, the company explained that the funding round was closed in anticipation of a series of imminent company milestones, including the first human flight of the Viceroy Seaglider prototype and commencement of production at REGENT’s 255,000-square-foot Seaglider Manufacturing Facility.
Regent’s recent 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.
“This is the moment we have been envisioning and tirelessly pursuing for the past five and a half years: REGENT has successfully proven safe, efficient ground-effect flight,” said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO at REGENT. "The Viceroy Seaglider flight marks the start of a new era in mobility, unlocking opportunities across passenger travel, defense missions, and cargo transport. I’m so grateful to the amazing team who made history today. We’re now moving quickly toward production to deliver Seagliders to coastlines around the world.”
Per today’s press release, REGENT’s commercial Viceroy Seaglider vessels will be able to fly at speeds up to 180 mph for up to 180 miles, and seat 12 passengers and two crew members; Viceroy will travel faster than a ferry and enable passengers to skip the delays of airport-style check-ins.
