October 2022
Yet another concept that looks good from an engineering standpoint (protected waters ground effect, not necessarily the electric aspect) but forgets that the environment gets a vote and that if you scare the $&@! out of your customer base generating repeat customers will be a challenge.
Maintaining 20’ AGL in a long swell period Pacific may be quite the up/down ride or may not achieve the ground effect performance goal…in the stormier Atlantic seaboard the “intimate” ocean experience of flying thru whitecap spray is going to be a lot more “exciting” than Aunt Mabel is prepared for.
1 reply
October 2022
The English Channel is the obvious market they are looking at, especially the Poole - Cherbourg run which is around 80 km over water.
Trouble is all sorts of fast craft have tried, and most quickly earned nicknames like “vomit comet” – an Australian hydrofoil. Going fast over bumpy water makes people sick.
1 reply
October 2022
▶ Rich_R
Yes and the moment that one noses into a double up wave it will tumble.
October 2022
The Ekranoplan of the civilised world?
October 2022
Interesting idea.
Where would we be today without invention? Our country was built on the greatness of these inventions and of the previous inventions that failed. God bless those who are not afraid to take a chance.
37 years from Kitty Hawk to the first flight of the P-51. Just 66 years from Kitty Hawk to the moon!
Keep up the good works REGENT!
God bless.
October 2022
Boston to New York? LA to San Francisco? 180 mile range? Maybe someone should look at a map. Plus, I can’t imagine this thing flying at 200 mph through those areas, which are pretty busy with commercial and recreational watercraft.
1 reply
October 2022
I agree with Jeff to a point - building on failed inventions has given many breakthroughs in technology. However, it seems that today’s “inventors”, unlike their predecessors, are tossing common sense and “going for broke” as they say. Imagine whisking along at 200 mph and striking a large shark, or sea cow, or larger! At speed, strong things become flexy-bendy-breaky very fast. Think a bird strike. And as others have stated, seldom are the waters calm. But the barf bag companies should see an upswing in sales.
1 reply
October 2022
▶ John_B
As I understand it, by the time it’s going 200mph, the vehicle is completely airborne. It will be flying within the surface effect (ground effect) regime. Striking objects in the water shouldn’t be a problem.
On the other hand, if this is to be a regional solution, then that means passengers might be connecting from a longer flight leg. If you start at SFO in a boat-like airplane, you have a long way to go in the wrong direction before you can soar south over the ocean. The “seaspace” in the channel can be very crowded, and you can’t just go over the traffic.
October 2022
All those small props should give it great lift. Why does it need to be a hydrofoil? Seems like an unnecessary transition.
October 2022
The water between Boston and New York, for example, is busy. Lots of commercial shipping, small boats, and now wind turbines, etc. It’s one thing to navigate this mess at 20 knots or less, another at 200 knots. It’s a great research project and will likely result in new technology that will be useful in other areas. Will it be commercially viable? Time will tell.
October 2022
▶ johnbpatson
The “vomit comet” moniker was earned by the first generation SeaCats. Current designs are much larger, leading to a smoother ride. As an advocate for using current gen hydrofoils put it:
“…yet many of them still refer to the 74-metre, 3,000GT, SeaCat Tasmania of 1990 as the “spewcat” or “vomit comet”. That is as ridiculously unfair and dishonest as comparing a Short Sandringham flying boat with a Boeing 747. The next Incat ferry to be built will be 120 metres and 13,000 plus GT.”
(See: tinyurl.com/2j8qdkh7)
But does it make sense to compare a surface craft with an aircraft?
October 2022
It’s clever; it reminds me of something from Johny Quest from the 60’s.
However going 150-200 mph makes it hard to miss small boats, floating debris, and surprised seagulls. It probably will be very efficient for a water craft.
October 2022
I can understand the Benihana endorsement but, I doubt you’ll see The National Audubon Society sticker on the tail. ?
October 2022
Is there something illicit aviation entrepreneurs have been ‘smoking’ lately? Where is all the $$$ to fund these nutty ideas coming from. The only thing missing from this idea is autonomous flight. An autonomous, electric sea skimming people mover … yeeeaaahhh!
October 2022
If this was a viable business model it would have been done already with Avgas or Jet A.
The Russians had some sort of a giant in ground effect craft called the Ekranoplan that was fascinating but failed.
IGE is a technology well used by seabirds but unlikely to provide transportation for us due to it’s limitations.
October 2022
Man that video was exciting to watch!!!
Apparently it can fly high enough to just barely kill you.
Seems they should start with combustion engines to see if the concept will “fly” from a business perspective, but the EV component probably is the stupid money draw.
October 2022
▶ Chris_Landry
^^^ No way they are going through the Cape Cod Canal at 200 mph…
October 2022
Yeah, lets extend the most dangerous parts of flying (takeoff and landing) to virtually include the whole journey. I won’t be a customer…
