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by icinnamon 1884 days ago
Check this out: http://regentcraft.com/video It actually flies, taking off after the hydrofoil kicks in.
1 comments

Holy shit! That's awesome and very impressive indeed.

So, is it meant to hover right above the surface and not fly at higher altitudes? And if that is the case, can some version of this be built for land too?

Sorry if these are silly questions.

Mike (CTO@REGENT) here— we fly in ground effect, which is typically at altitudes less than 1/2 your wingspan. We fly, but low to help with aerodynamic efficiency and remain in the maritime domain.
Thanks Mike. How does you seaglider deal with bad weather, sea swell etc.?
These are great questions! I'll let Billy and Mike chime in, but it's meant to take advantage of WIG efficiencies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-effect_vehicle) which lets the aircraft have a much longer range and a shorter certification pathway.
That is very interesting. Hope to see it in action soon.

Also I just realised what the answer to my question for 'why not on land' was, and I feel silly.