Regent craft has a working 12 passenger version and has sales for a 100 passenger seaplane that would be about three times more fuel efficient than other planes. They do not need as much weight as prior wing in ground effect designs by using computers for stabilization.
Larger Regent WIG versions are hypothetical, as current Regent models top out at ~12.5 tons (Monarch passenger equivalent), with no announced plans for 200+ ton cargo variants. However, based on historical Ekranoplans (e.g., Lun-class at ~150 tons payload potential), modern concepts like DARPA’s Liberty Lifter (aiming for 100+ ton heavy-lift at sea-skimming heights) and the Boeing Pelican (8000 tons), such scaling is technically feasible for hybrid/electric WIG vehicles. They could be optimized for coastal cargo (100-2,000 mile routes) by leveraging ground effect for 30-50% better efficiency than aircraft, achieving 2-3x the carrying capacity of comparable seaplanes while traveling at 180-300 mph—far faster than ships (20-30 knots) but with costs and efficiencies bridging the two.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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Fair weather only flyers.
Imagine flying one in high seas, and hitting waves.