OUR DREAM
The pursuit of human powered flight — and the birth of a new sport.
At Beta Foils, we’re not just building a product — we’re chasing a dream. A dream where you can fly endlessly across lakes and waterways on nothing but your own power. Silent. Rhythmic. Immersive. We call it Freefoiling — and though we’ve built the best tool for it, the sport is still in its infancy.
HOW IT STARTED
In 2018, Todd Reichert sat beside a quiet lake with his newborn son and a wild idea — a human-powered hydrofoil that could fit in a backpack.
As both an engineer and athlete, Todd had spent the last decade in the pursuit of awe-inspiring engineering feats — flying the world’s first human-powered ornithopter, capturing the elusive Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Prize, and shattering the human-powered speed record in a streamline bicycle that reached 144 km/h. Now he wanted to bring that same wonder to the water, in a much smaller and more personal form.
Todd explored different configurations until one stood out: a minimalist board paired with a dual-mast structural design — an evolution of the existing surfing foils that would unlock longer wingspans without compromising stiffness. Rather than adding weight and complexity to achieve water starts, the concept was to develop the physical strength and skill to launch from docks, rocks and beaches along the shoreline. The vision of freefoiling came into focus, but at this point it was still just a dream. In 2021 the first prototype took flight and marked the beginning of a dedicated effort to figure out what was truly possible.
Meanwhile, 840 km away, Devon Manz had recently moved lakeside and was becoming obsessed with the emerging world of pump foiling. In his own search for endless flight he launched the @WakeThief YouTube channel and quickly became one of the sport’s most visible voices. Devon and Todd connected in 2021, and together they started shaping a new vision of the sport — one built on exploration, endurance, and flight without limits.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Today, Beta Foils is a small team with a big mission. Todd leads design, testing, and manufacturing. Devon remains a key figure in the community and a partner in the sport’s development. We build in Canada, test every prototype ourselves, and ride every chance we get. This isn’t a brand made by marketers — it’s a dream pursued by engineers and athletes who can’t let it go.
But freefoiling, as we envision it, doesn’t fully exist yet. Most riders today still count their flight time in minutes — not hours — and a 10 km journey from your dock still feels like a stretch. But here's the thing: even a few minutes of flight, powered entirely by your own body, is one of the most rewarding and awe-inspiring experiences you can have.
This will never be an easy sport — and that’s exactly why it’s so powerful. Whether you're building the technology or learning to fly, freefoiling demands grit, patience, and relentless curiosity. It’s not just about reaching the horizon — it’s about who you become in the pursuit. We relate deeply to that journey, because we’re on it too.
We’re excited to take on the challenge — and we’re inviting you to help shape what freefoiling becomes.
The dream isn’t finished. But the ride has begun.
Want to be part of what we're building?
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