REGENT - 7 Questions Showcase

Telemetry Today
Oct 5
4 min read

We recently got to pick the brain of Adam A. Triolo, VP, Commercial Business Development at REGENT! We asked him all about the Seaglider: an all-electric, high-speed craft that's set to revolutionize coastal transportation. Flying just above the water's surface, it offers an inexpensive, zero-emission way to travel regional routes up to 180 miles. A truly exciting look at the future of maritime-aerospace innovation!

REGENT's headquarters is in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, a state with a rich maritime history and a growing "Blue Economy." Can you discuss how being located here provides unique operational, talent, and strategic advantages for a company like REGENT, which blends aerospace and marine technologies?

Being headquartered in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, offers unique advantages due to the state's rich maritime history, accessible coastlines, and a strong network of aerospace and marine talent, which are invaluable for a company innovating at the intersection of aerospace and marine technologies.

Operating here, we have access to Narragansett Bay's deep waters and protected harbors which are ideal for early-stage testing, while its proximity to the open ocean allows for comprehensive testing of the Seaglider's float, foil, and fly capabilities. Additionally, Rhode Island's boatbuilding heritage has cultivated a community of skilled craftsmen and innovators, offering a rich talent pool for building advanced marine technologies. By leveraging these operational, talent, and strategic advantages, we are poised to lead in the development and manufacturing of Seagliders, furthering our mission to revolutionize coastal transportation.

You’ve proven your fundamentals with a quarter-scale prototype and have achieved foiling with your full-scale prototype. What challenges do you face in the “foil-to-wing” and “wing-to-foil” transition?

The primary challenge is managing the precise transition of lift from the foils to the wings during takeoff and ensuring a smooth transition back to the foils for landing, which is a unique and critical phase that has not been done before.

As the Seaglider shifts from foiling on water to flying in the air, the lift must transfer with extreme accuracy, requiring highly tuned control systems to handle the very different dynamics between a high-speed hydrofoil and a wing-in-ground effect craft. Meanwhile, returning from flight to foiling presents an equally complex challenge, as the Seaglider must transition seamlessly from aerodynamic to hydrodynamic forces while carefully managing the impact with the water surface to ensure passenger comfort and structural integrity.

While challenging, these are all situations we have carefully planned for and are expected steps in our journey to first flight.

The Seaglider uses a distributed propulsion system with 12 propellers. What are the specific safety and efficiency advantages of this design, and how does it contribute to the vehicle's unique flight characteristics?

The distributed propulsion system with 12 propellers is central to the Seaglider’s innovative design, enhancing both safety and efficiency while enabling unique flight capabilities. Its redundancy ensures that if one propeller fails, others can compensate, maintaining operation and allowing for a safe landing, while the precise manipulation of airflow over the wings enhances stability and control across all phases of flight. By using a blown wing design, the system reduces takeoff speeds by generating lift at lower speeds, enabling smoother transitions from hydrofoiling to flying and improving passenger comfort.

This design also allows for low-speed takeoffs directly from the hydrofoils, avoiding cavitation and stall issues, and despite the system’s technical complexity, pilots interact with simple boat-like controls while the digital flight control system manages the intricate flight dynamics. Altogether, the distributed propulsion system provides a powerful combination of safety, efficiency, and operational advantages that distinguish the Seaglider from traditional wing-in-ground effect craft and seaplanes.

The Seaglider is intended to leverage existing dock infrastructure. Can you walk us through the process of integrating your vehicle into a new coastal city's transportation network?

The Seaglider is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing dock infrastructure, requiring only minimal adaptation for operations while ensuring smooth incorporation into coastal transportation networks.

This process begins with evaluating current dock facilities and coordinating closely with local port authorities and transportation agencies to meet regulatory and safety standards. In cases where infrastructure adjustments are needed, modifications such as adding charging stations or enhancing passenger and cargo handling areas can be implemented with minimal disruption. Operational integration involves establishing schedules and routes that complement existing transit options, training a local workforce for operations and maintenance, and engaging with communities to align services with their transportation needs.

You've chosen to be regulated as a maritime vessel by the U.S. Coast Guard. What does this classification mean for your development timeline and operational procedures compared to FAA certification?

The maritime classification accelerates our development timeline and simplifies operational procedures compared to the more complex FAA certification process. With the U.S. Coast Guard classification, operational procedures are tailored to maritime regulations, which are well-established and less burdensome than those of the FAA. This classification also aligns with the Seaglider's unique capabilities, as it operates primarily over water and leverages the wing-in-ground effect for efficient travel.

What are the key military and defense applications you're exploring for the Seaglider?

The Seaglider is being explored for troop transport, cargo resupply, intelligence gathering, and MEDEVAC/CASEVAC missions. The Seaglider is well positioned for these missions as it can operate in environments with minimal infrastructure, providing a tactical advantage in challenging terrains. Moreover, the design offers a stealthy profile and simple operation, crucial for success in modern maritime conflicts. By focusing on these applications, the Seaglider is positioned to become an essential asset for defense forces, complementing existing capabilities and providing new operational possibilities.

What's next for REGENT after the Viceroy Seaglider? Are there plans for larger vehicles or different non-military or regional transport applications?

After the introduction of the Viceroy Seaglider, the focus will shift to the Monarch, a larger Seaglider vessel designed to carry 100 passengers. This scale-up is driven by the technology's ability to perform even better as the vehicle size increases. The larger Monarch Seaglider is being developed to meet the demands of commercial airlines and ferry operators, offering a cost-effective and scalable solution for regional transportation. With strategic investors like Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, and ferry customers such as Brittany Ferries and FRS, there is already a clear path to integrating the Monarch Seaglider into existing transportation networks.

This is one of many posts in a series highlighting emerging Aero/Space innovators. If your company is building something incredible in orbit (or here on Earth) reach out to connect! We're always looking for exciting stories to share.