Tidal Flight is developing the Polaris, a hybrid-electric amphibious seaplane designed to carry 9–12 passengers on sectors of roughly 100–500 miles. The company says the aircraft will reduce fuel burn by about 85%, cut operating costs by roughly 40%, and lower takeoff noise by about 20 decibels compared with existing seaplanes. Founded in 2023 and incubated through Hampton's REaKTOR program, Tidal Flight has raised a $4 million seed round and secured an Air Force contract to fund development of full-scale subsystems. The firm plans to lease 13,000 square feet of hangar space at Chesapeake Regional Airport and is tripling its workforce with six new hires tied to the expansion. Near-term technical goals include an operational pilotable flight simulator in the summer and a first full-scale prototype flight targeted for 2028, with certification and customer deliveries aimed for 2030.

Total raised

$1M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2026