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In the 1960s, Soviet engineers built a mashup of a plane and a boat that could fly a few feet above an ocean or lake at high speeds. The vehicle, which they called the ekranoplan, or screenplane, took advantage of a property of airflow that gives extra lift by pushing air down to the surface. But only a few dozen ekranoplans were produced—including one dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster—and the idea was largely forgotten.
Billy Thalheimer says it’s time for another look, at least when the idea is paired with hydrofoil technology. By adding electric propulsion and hydrofoils to improve balance, a revamped ekranoplan—he calls it a seaglider—can offer a carbon-free alternative for overwater routes such as New York to Boston, Los Angeles to San Diego, or Miami to the Bahamas. “There is something inherently novel about a seaglider,” says Thalheimer, an aerospace engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who in 2020 co-founded Regent Craft Inc., a Rhode Island company dedicated to reviving the idea.
Regent says the hydrofoils—winglike structures under the hull—can solve the limitations the Soviets faced, such as instability, difficulty operating in rough seas and the high speeds needed for takeoff. And without kerosene-burning jet engines, Thalheimer says, seagliders will cost far less than commercial aircraft to operate and maintain.
Regent, an acronym for Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport, is backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights Peter Thiel and Mark Cuban, and in April it appointed Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Co.’s former chief executive officer, to its advisory board. In October, Regent raised $60 million from investors including Japan Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and the UAE’s Strategic Development Fund.
The company says seagliders can be technically classified as boats even though they’re designed to fly about 30 feet above the water. Consequently, in most places, they would fall under maritime authority; In the US, that means regulation by the Coast Guard rather than the Federal Aviation Administration, which could make the route to market quicker. Thalheimer, though, insists Regent will adhere to all flight security guidelines. “There is an incredible amount of safety analysis and procedure that goes in,” he says.
Thalheimer says the company has completed successful tests of a remote-controlled prototype with an 18-foot wingspan. And it’s working on a full-scale version with a wingspan of 64 feet—slightly more than a plane of similar capacity—that it plans to test next year. Regent aims to begin commercial operations as early as 2025, offering a 12-passenger model with a range of 180 miles. Later in the decade, it aims to introduce a version that will carry up to 100 passengers.
Richard Pat Anderson, an engineering professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida questions Regent’s ability to deploy its seaglider as quickly as Thalheimer predicts. Although the science behind the idea is sound, he says, a battery-powered Cessna prototype that seats 12 people has a range of only about 25 miles. And he says Regent is overly optimistic in its predictions regarding FAA approval. “If they’re forced to be regulated under FAA rules,” he says, “it could be years before it wins certification.”
The goal is to make craft that can be recharged in as little as 15 minutes. Regent says its aircraft will depart from standard docks or piers, cruising the harbor at low speeds while floating on their hulls. Once in open water, they’ll rise onto hydrofoils at about 50 miles per hour. Then taking advantage of what’s called the wing in ground effect, they’ll lift off from the hydrofoils and travel just above the surface at speeds up to 180 mph, meaning it might take just over an hour to reach downtown Boston from Manhattan.
France’s Brittany Ferries, Philippine air charter operator INAEC, and Hawaiian regional carrier Mokulele Airlines have placed nonbinding orders for the two models. “We believe they will be successful and that they will be timely,” says Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility, the parent of Mokulele. “The team they have assembled proved to us that they have the best shot at perfecting the technology.”
Can This Startup Revive Soviet-Era Hydrofoil Tech?
The aerospace engineer behind Regent Craft is developing a “seaglider” that could be classified as a boat and travel as fast as 180 mph over water.
A rendering of Regent’s 12-passenger seaglider.
Source: RegentIn the 1960s, Soviet engineers built a mashup of a plane and a boat that could fly a few feet above an ocean or lake at high speeds. The vehicle, which they called the ekranoplan, or screenplane, took advantage of a property of airflow that gives extra lift by pushing air down to the surface. But only a few dozen ekranoplans were produced—including one dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster—and the idea was largely forgotten.
Billy Thalheimer says it’s time for another look, at least when the idea is paired with hydrofoil technology. By adding electric propulsion and hydrofoils to improve balance, a revamped ekranoplan—he calls it a seaglider—can offer a carbon-free alternative for overwater routes such as New York to Boston, Los Angeles to San Diego, or Miami to the Bahamas. “There is something inherently novel about a seaglider,” says Thalheimer, an aerospace engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who in 2020 co-founded Regent Craft Inc., a Rhode Island company dedicated to reviving the idea.
Regent says the hydrofoils—winglike structures under the hull—can solve the limitations the Soviets faced, such as instability, difficulty operating in rough seas and the high speeds needed for takeoff. And without kerosene-burning jet engines, Thalheimer says, seagliders will cost far less than commercial aircraft to operate and maintain.
Regent, an acronym for Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport, is backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights Peter Thiel and Mark Cuban, and in April it appointed Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Co.’s former chief executive officer, to its advisory board. In October, Regent raised $60 million from investors including Japan Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and the UAE’s Strategic Development Fund.
The company says seagliders can be technically classified as boats even though they’re designed to fly about 30 feet above the water. Consequently, in most places, they would fall under maritime authority; In the US, that means regulation by the Coast Guard rather than the Federal Aviation Administration, which could make the route to market quicker. Thalheimer, though, insists Regent will adhere to all flight security guidelines. “There is an incredible amount of safety analysis and procedure that goes in,” he says.
Thalheimer says the company has completed successful tests of a remote-controlled prototype with an 18-foot wingspan. And it’s working on a full-scale version with a wingspan of 64 feet—slightly more than a plane of similar capacity—that it plans to test next year. Regent aims to begin commercial operations as early as 2025, offering a 12-passenger model with a range of 180 miles. Later in the decade, it aims to introduce a version that will carry up to 100 passengers.
Richard Pat Anderson, an engineering professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida questions Regent’s ability to deploy its seaglider as quickly as Thalheimer predicts. Although the science behind the idea is sound, he says, a battery-powered Cessna prototype that seats 12 people has a range of only about 25 miles. And he says Regent is overly optimistic in its predictions regarding FAA approval. “If they’re forced to be regulated under FAA rules,” he says, “it could be years before it wins certification.”
The goal is to make craft that can be recharged in as little as 15 minutes. Regent says its aircraft will depart from standard docks or piers, cruising the harbor at low speeds while floating on their hulls. Once in open water, they’ll rise onto hydrofoils at about 50 miles per hour. Then taking advantage of what’s called the wing in ground effect, they’ll lift off from the hydrofoils and travel just above the surface at speeds up to 180 mph, meaning it might take just over an hour to reach downtown Boston from Manhattan.
France’s Brittany Ferries, Philippine air charter operator INAEC, and Hawaiian regional carrier Mokulele Airlines have placed nonbinding orders for the two models. “We believe they will be successful and that they will be timely,” says Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility, the parent of Mokulele. “The team they have assembled proved to us that they have the best shot at perfecting the technology.”
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