Taily
The CAsA control freaks in Cairns would take an interesting in it because it has wings, lifts just off the water and they have nothing better to do.
Eventually this project, reinventing the wheel went nowhere along with the Government funding
Ops normal.

That, plus the excessive noise the engine generates reflected off of the water (think floatplane takeoff, but for the entire journey!), seems to be the main reasons the WIGE concept hasn't really ever taken off (pardon the pun).

IIRC, a few years ago someone tried to start a charter service between the Bellarine and Melbourne in one (I think it was an Airfish also) but the business model fell flat for those reasons. Maybe it's the one now in Cairns?

Using an electric motor is the only way this concept is ever going to get off the ground (/water) commercially, but you then have the waves to contend with - plus randoms on jetskis. Nahh, it'll never work. :hmm:

and a loooong extension cord.

A few years ago I listened to recording of an interview with a pilot who’d flown flying boats. His opinion of them was that ‘They combined the inherent risks of both sea and air.’ (Or words to that effect.)
A WIGE machine seems to take that and add ‘low flying’ to the mix!

Tailly, I recall same (needing pilot and marine) from 20 years ago, but I think it might have been that they wanted a pilot for the trials and implementation not because it was regulation. IIRC Palau was the initial market or business case?

Looked great when it was out and about under you when flying the CNS1 departure.