In many major U.S. cities on the East and West coast, urban gridlock is a significant obstacle that slows commerce, negatively affects the environment, and can gradually erode one’s desire to travel any further than the corner grocery store. These factors make the need for new transportation solutions ever more acute – not just to improve travelers’ lives, but also to positively impact air quality and general safety. 

REGENT Craft Inc. has been working diligently to reinvent regional coastal travel by building vehicles that can offer sustainable, low-cost transportation that is both fast and environmentally friendly. The first example of this effort is the 12-passenger Viceroy seaglider prototype, which is 55 feet long with a 65-foot wingspan–making it the largest-ever all-electric flying machine. 

As proof of the anticipation and excitement surrounding this innovation in coastal air travel, REGENT Craft already has an order book worth more than USD $9 billion from customers around the world. 

Even more exciting is the news that the full-scale Viceroy seaglider prototype has just successfully completed its maiden voyage in sea trials. On March 6, 2025, REGENT Craft announced in a press release that the prototype just finished its first on-water trials with a crew, kicking off a testing campaign that will culminate in the first human seaglider flight mid-year. From a practical point of view, the era of the seaglider has arrived. 

The Case for Reinventing Regional Coastal Travel

Now, when you first hear about an entirely new type of vehicle – in this case, an all-electric, zero-emissions craft capable of gliding gracefully over the water at 180 miles per hour – naturally, you have questions. For example, you’d be forgiven for asking: Will the tickets be expensive? Is it only for transporting professional sports legends and Mick Jagger?

I’m pleased to share that nothing could be further from the truth. REGENT Craft’s philosophy is that the Viceroy seaglider would provide a smart and cost-effective solution for frequent intercoastal transport, thereby attracting busy commuters as well as holiday travelers. Built to carry 12 passengers in safety and in style, the guiding principle is that the seaglider can provide a faster and more comfortable trip than a ship, and at a price point that can actually be lower than a typical airline ticket for the same journey.

For example, say you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to visit the San Diego Zoo - on a map, it looks like a pleasant 120-mile drive along a lovely coastline. But residents of Southern California know all too well that navigating the 5 Freeway in daylight means a small eternity in bumper-to-bumper traffic – which can easily take upwards of three or even four hours. The other option? Go to a busy airport, hit the glacially slow TSA line, and stand helpless and shoeless on the linoleum while your backpack is cheerfully taken apart. Fortunately, a better way to fly is now on the horizon.

The Vision Behind Seagliders

RTI recently had the pleasure of interviewing Evan Orenstein, Lead Vehicle Software Engineer at REGENT Craft on our Software-Defined Everything podcast. In this wide-ranging discussion, Mr. Orenstein explained that REGENT Craft’s seagliders are more than just a new form of transportation; they represent a vision for a multimodal, sustainable future. Zero-emission vehicles reflect his company's commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of commercial transportation, which is a key aspect of the REGENT Craft mission. By focusing on revolutionizing maritime mobility, REGENT Craft also has an opportunity to drastically reduce transportation time and costs between coastal destinations, allowing the Viceroy seaglider to address a virtually untapped travel market.

Of course, designing a vehicle that combines elements of both air and sea travel presents unique challenges. Traditional sensor systems, for example, are either built specifically for air or sea environments, but rarely both. Therefore, REGENT Craft needed to develop innovative software that could support distributed systems with multimodal sensors, allowing them to bridge the gap between these two domains. Software is crucial in managing the complexities and nonlinearities of rapidly transitioning from water to air, a critical aspect of the seaglider's functionality. Supporting this unique approach is what led REGENT Craft to work closely with RTI.

Processing Flight Data in Real Time

REGENT Craft relies on RTI Connext software for real-time data connectivity, which provides the ability to monitor and analyze live data in real time, ensuring that REGENT Craft engineers can provide swift feedback to the captains. This capability not only enhances operational safety but also supports the continuous improvement of vehicles through post-test analysis. Because the Viceroy seaglider operates at high speeds and at low altitudes, the capability to process real-time data is simply essential. Connext is based on the principle of data centricity, so this data remains in constant motion, always going to the right place at the right time.

Built on the Data Distribution Service (DDS^™) standard, RTI's software also helps streamline the efficiency of data management, which is crucial for processing the copious amount of incoming data generated by the seagliders. Software automation and data analysis play a pivotal role in reducing operational costs, which in turn serves to keep real-world ticket prices competitive. And because the software is capable of facilitating real-time data analysis and improving communication between systems on the vehicle, Connext also plays an integral role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of the seagliders.

“We produce terabytes on terabytes of data on a regular basis. RTI and using DDS as a software middleware has enabled us to take different systems that have been developed and take data from essentially our control system, all the way out to a support boat, to a control room to enable the rapid processing, both in real time and in post time…understanding what's going on, what the vehicle’s doing, and why. So, RTI is really at the core of our data-centric approach to developing the seaglider.”

– Evan Orenstein, Lead Vehicle Software Engineer at REGENT Craft Inc.

Looking Ahead: Future Impact

The Viceroy seaglider is a testament to the potential of combining advanced software with visionary design to create sustainable, next-generation transportation solutions. RTI is proud to play a supporting role in an eco-friendly journey that is truly one-of-a-kind. Given REGENT Craft’s ambitious plans for furthering regional coastal vehicle development and introducing new offerings, it seems like this is only the beginning of a transportation revolution that could ultimately add up to a profound and positive change for the planet.

Resources:

• To listen to the entire REGENT Craft Inc. conversation, please click here: RTI Software-Defined Everything Podcast on Spotify.
• To read the March 6 Press Release, please click here: REGENT Begins Sea Trials of First Passenger-Carrying Seaglider
• For more general information, please visit REGENT Craft Inc

About the author:

Peter VanderMost is the Editor of the official RTI blog.