EP 129 — REGENT's Billy Thalheimer On Building The Boat That Can Fly By Fixing What Held Back Wing-In-Ground Craft

The Soviet Union experimented with wing-in-ground craft in the 1960s, but bad weather, crowded harbors, and poor safety records held them back. Billy Thalheimer, Co-Founder & CEO of REGENT, explains how the Seaglider fixes all three, giving crews a craft that operates like a boat but flies at up to 180 miles an hour.

Billy walks Steve through float, foil, fly operations and the first flight of the 15,000-pound Viceroy. He explains how REGENT tailors its pitch to each Department of War stakeholder, from contested logistics to medical evacuation (MEDEVAC).

Topics discussed:

- Solving wave tolerance, maneuverability, and safety in wing-in-ground craft

- Operating across float, foil, and fly modes

- Navigating a maritime-led regulatory pathway under Coast Guard jurisdiction

- Expanding the Viceroy's flight envelope with multiple tests per week

- Building a quarter-million-square-foot factory for Seaglider production

- Reserving production slots for commercial and defense deliveries

- Selling contested logistics and medevac to Department of War stakeholders

- Addressing switching costs when introducing a new mode of transportation

Listen to more episodes:

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Website