An electric aircraft capable of simultaneously operating as a boat has completed its first human crewed flight.
Regent Craft’s Seaglider is a 12-passenger vessel that flies just above coastal waters using wing-in-ground effect technology. It can float like a boat before rising onto retractable hydrofoils for wave tolerance near docks, and low-altitude flying.
While it only has 160 nautical mile range with existing batteries, Regent Craft says it can be upgraded to have a range over 400 nautical miles with next generation technology.
Its first manned flight took place at Regent’s headquarters in Rhode Island, USA. With a crew of two captains aboard, the Seaglider flew a distance of 596m at a height of 10m above the water for 30 seconds.
The Regent team spent the summer increasing the vessel’s hydrofoiling speed in preparation for the flight, part of a comprehensive testing effort throughout 2026 spanning both on-water operations and simulation-based development.
“This is the moment we have...