Watch Regent take its prototype electric seaglider out for a test flight

Regent, a startup developing electric flying boats, has completed a series of test runs on the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island to prove it can float, foil and fly.

Billy Thalheimer, Regent's co- founder and CEO, said the company has a $7 billion order book for its seagliders.

The Viceroy will be able to carry 12 passengers between coastal or island destinations faster than buses, trains or traditional ferries, and at a lower price than a commercial flight. The company says it will enter commercial service by the end of the 20th century.

A quarter-scale version of the Viceroy was built for real-world testing.

This prototype model was able to motor out of a harbor in Rhode Island slowly, then launch from a speed of about 40 mph into the air, where it flew about 10 feet above the ocean at a speed of up to 50 mph. The company says that the commercial version will go up to 180 mph.

Travelers should be able to board these seagliders at a dock, like they would a regular ferry.

The seaglider, which launches and lands with the help of remote controls and a partly automated system, traverses through a harbor and is powered by a battery. It cuts through the waves on hydrofoils, which are like underwater stilts or wings that give a boat tremendous wave tolerance, making for a smooth ride.

The Regent seaglider takes off when it is on the edge of the harbor. The CEO likened it to flying on a cushion of air.

The transition from floating on a hydrofoil to lifting above the water requires a vehicle that can lift above the water.

The vehicle in the hydrofoils is like driving on stilts. Waves pass under you. A traditional boat ride would be uncomfortable for a passenger if there were waves or instability.

Once the boat lifts off the surface and has pulled those hydrofoils out of the water, it's like being in a traditional airliner where it's a very smooth ride with the exception that we are flying low over the water.

Regent hopes to have the Viceroy seaglider in service by the end of the century. A seaglider that can carry 25,000 pounds is being developed by the startup. It hopes to have this model in service by the end of the century.

This is where you can watch the first test flights of the Squire.