This is an interesting vehicle concept combining hydrofoils, ground effect flight, and electric motors. The idea is to use hydrofoils to lift the craft above the waves for a smoother takeoff, then fly low using ground effect. Though there’s a significant regulatory question: is it an aircraft or a watercraft?
The picture is a 1/4-scale prototype during a test flight in 2022. More pictures are here and an interview with the CEO is here. A full-scale, 12-passenger craft is in the works and slated to fly in 2024, followed by a planned 100-person model. The company claims to already have orders for “over 467” seagliders.
I read somewhere that ground effect craft would almost certainly have to be regulated as aircraft. However, I wonder if they couldn’t just skirt the regulatory question by always keeping a small hydrofoil in the water so that it is technically never airborne.
