REGENT Craft successfully conducted the first sea trial of a full-scale seaglider carrying passengers onboard on March 6, 2025.
The seaglider that conducted this test was a prototype of the Viceroy electrically powered wing-in-ground vehicle, designed to carry up to 12 passengers.
Ground-in-wing vehicles make use of the laws of aerodynamics to move at high speeds just a few meters above the surface of the sea.
Although they move through the air, seagliders are technically classified as ships, so REGENT conducted a proper christening ceremony for the prototype in the maritime tradition, calling it ‘Paladin’.
The sea trials were conducted in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, on the US East Coast, close to where REGENT Craft is building a 255,000 square feet factory to serially produce the seagliders.
On-water tests will continue throughout 2025, with the first human-piloted seaglider flight expected mid-year. Previously, REGENT Craft had been testing the vehicles’ multiple systems thoroughly on the ground.
REGENT Craft has shared footage of this test on its several social media channels, leading to it receiving public praise from Elon Musk among others.
.@elonmusk we were productive this week https://t.co/CdoS6qfPAl pic.twitter.com/0u1LfNeJ2q
— Billy Thalheimer (@billythalheimer) March 6, 2025
