MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Either a fast boat that flies or an airplane that can't climb over 100 ft or so. From Avweb:
Regent, a New England-based company formed a few years ago by a pair of MIT graduates and aeronautical-industry refugees, is challenging conventions involving airplanes and high-speed boats.
Regent self-describes as "the company pioneering electric seagliders for sustainable maritime transportation."
A seaglider is a "wing-in-ground effect" vehicle, or "WIG," according to Regent co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer. It takes the concept of a hydrofoil a step further (so to speak). Though it does have vanes and is designed to also operate as a hydrofoil at times, Regent's electric-powered seaglider uses a gull-shaped high wing to lift the hull completely off the surface, but never higher than its wingspan. Using that cushion of air well known to pilots, the craft can attain speeds up to 160 knots and has a range of up to 160 statute miles—expected to expand to as far as 500 miles with improvements in battery technology. The current business plan calls for short-range, dock-to-dock service between cities a few hundred miles apart, such as Boston and New York, or Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company projects other possible maritime markets, including the Caribbean, Hawaii and the English Channel.
Regent, a New England-based company formed a few years ago by a pair of MIT graduates and aeronautical-industry refugees, is challenging conventions involving airplanes and high-speed boats.
Regent self-describes as "the company pioneering electric seagliders for sustainable maritime transportation."
A seaglider is a "wing-in-ground effect" vehicle, or "WIG," according to Regent co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer. It takes the concept of a hydrofoil a step further (so to speak). Though it does have vanes and is designed to also operate as a hydrofoil at times, Regent's electric-powered seaglider uses a gull-shaped high wing to lift the hull completely off the surface, but never higher than its wingspan. Using that cushion of air well known to pilots, the craft can attain speeds up to 160 knots and has a range of up to 160 statute miles—expected to expand to as far as 500 miles with improvements in battery technology. The current business plan calls for short-range, dock-to-dock service between cities a few hundred miles apart, such as Boston and New York, or Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company projects other possible maritime markets, including the Caribbean, Hawaii and the English Channel.
