For some reason I think that might work, actually. The Sahara desert has both winds and sun creating thermique that will keep glider planes up for days. It won't carry heavy loads, but if the hull design is super light creating both an aircussion and uplift by having glider wings, maybe a more Kite like design of the sail would build a cheap in running cost transport medium for long distances across the empty open desert and possibly even hot Sahel days.
Normal is boring...
