Although Hawaii used to have a ferry service to access the various islands in the archipelago, due to environmental and political issues, air travel is now the only way to island-hop. Various companies have tried to fill this transportation gap, but have all been stymied for one reason or another. The latest to attempt to solve this problem is a unique one, however. The Hawaii Seaglider Initiative is currently testing a ground-effect vehicle for inter-island passenger service that hopes to use the unique characteristics of this type of aircraft to reduce costs and limit environmental concerns.
The Seaglider, with backing from the Hawaii state government and various corporate interests like Hawaiian Airlines, is actually an amalgamation of three different types of vehicle. It’s capable of operating like a normal, hulled boat at low speeds but has a hydrofoil for operating at higher speeds. Beyond that, its wings give it enough lift to leave the water but stay in ground-effect flight, flying low to the water to reduce drag and improve lift when compared to an aircraft flying out of the ground effect. The efficiency gains from this type of flight are enough that the Seaglider can use electric motors and batteries to make the trips from island to island.
While the ferry is not yet in service, flight testing of the vehicle is scheduled for this year. Ground-effect vehicles of this type do have a large number of obstacles to overcome, whether they’re huge military vehicles like the Ekranoplanes of the Soviet Union or even small remote-controlled crafts, including difficulty with rough seas and having to operate in a harsh salt water environment.
Why in the holy heck would “environmental” issues cause a ferry to be replaced with flying?
Drunks peeing over the railing?
The eis for the superferry was not properly conducted, and the project folded because of that. A properly conducted eis may have cleared it, but we were all a bit surprised at the changes (people scooping up carloads of river rock on the neighbor islands and selling them on Oahu, and Kaua’i being worried about having the mongoose coming over for example)
This article makes it seem like the ferry ran for a long time, but it was actually very brief, I don’t know anyone who rode it.
All that being said, I would not like to be in that tiny thing crossing the Alenuihaha channel (the channel between the Big Island and Maui) – that’s basically open ocean with big waves and currents, put me on a plane please
It essentially is a plane after it pulls up its foil
(Clarification)
eis = Environmental Impact Statement; results of an environmental study conducted before Civil approval to continue a proposed project.
Required by U.S law.
Supa-flies wuz some fun! Rock People were Kooks!
Mass psychosis?
Big reason I believe resulted in that, what looked to be a successful alternative method to transport private vehicles, commercial vehicles, consumer goods between the Islands, failed to continue operation due to an environmental-impact report. Well, even other local residents, wondered if this prospective ferry systems competitors, a local barge transport/tug company and local inter-island airline, encouraged the State govt to slap an environmental report to fail this ferry system business.
True Monopolies don’t allow competition.
Also, It’s not in the best interest of the federal government to allow the Hawaiian islands to unite with practical public transportation options which would allow independent food production and real mobility to easily move between islands with vehicles and belongings. This would allow Hawaii to be less dependent on the mainland by helping the local industries lower the costs of productivity.
Note the “political” reason given.
Please…. the plural of craft is craft.
There doesn’t seem to be any way to edit. I should have added that this is why English is so hard for non-English speakers to learn. While the plural of craft in this sense… aircraft, water craft.. is without the S, things like Arts and Crafts do take the S ending for the plural.
Arts and craft… got it.
Crafts
Craft (v) vd Craft (n)
What is the plural of “spacecraft” ?
Is that a tiny model?
Ye thought the same. I dug on their website (linked in article) this is the prototype which seats 12 + 2 crew.
They are planning a larger one with 50-100 passengers + crew
Having been in the Navy for many years, and now owning an EV for local commuting (thus hearing all the public fears and backlash), i would venture that one battery event, corroded connector, or even just being towed in with paying public onboard will sour this project. Oceans, electronics, and high power density batteries is an extremely difficult mix. It would make much more sense to get this working with proven efficient turboprop power and then redesign for electric later.
It’s going to be hard to maintain ground effect in the channels between the islands…. they are known for their waves there.
Ground Effect can be maintained as long as the aircraft’s altitude is less than it’s wingspan.
Are the waves taller than the width of the plane’s wings?
The main problem is 6ft+ waves that are the average out in the sea on any given day, you have the random potential for 12ft of height difference, you need a huge craft to prevent breakup in the calmest of seas. This thing would have to be massive incase it had to make an emergency stop in the seas. I could see a cruise ship style ferry working, I don’t see a banana for scale but the picture does not inspire safety.
Look at the bright side. If this fails, they can always install a monorail.
Search youtube for
Regent’s Seagliders: Missing the Mark?
It will answer a lot of questions
But to what questions?
after the way a bunch of dissidents on surf boards put the super ferry out of business I am amazed that anyone would even consider another attempt. homeless idiots with limited intelligence will put an end to your business as well
It was killed by Hawaiian airlines and Young brothers shipping filing complaints about environmental impact statements not being complete. They likely assisted the dissidents to increase the impact and helping to move the political Wheels in the direction they wanted.
But the end result, whatever the cause greatly benefits both young brothers and Hawaiian air
More the anyone else and really hurt Hawaii and all of our people socially and financially by not allowing those 3 car ferry’s to become productive.
I rode the hydrofoil ferries between Athens Greece andthe Greek isoands, They staart out slow then lift on the hydrofoils. Smooth and fast. Maybe we could use what they use?
I can just hear Elvis Singing ‘Blew Hawaii’…