Samson Switchblade flying car is ready to launch
The Samson Switchblade, a street-legal three-wheeler that transforms into a 200 mph (322 km/h) airliner at the press of a button, has been granted airworthiness by the FAA after 14 years of development. The team is now getting ready for flight tests. When it's time to fly, the Switchblade's wings swing out from beneath its two-seat cabin in a knife-like manner, hence its name. The tail swings out from where it's hidden behind the huge pusher prop, then flattens into a large T form. Samson claims that converting a street-legal trike to an aircraft takes less than three minutes, and while it hasn't yet shown the full procedure on a physical prototype, it appears to be going to be quite spectacular.
The 3-cylinders, 1.6-liter liquid-cooled engine produces 190 horsepower and takes 91-octane pump gas. This is effectively utilized as a generator to provide electric wheels in drive mode and an electric prop motor while flying. It can be registered as a motorcycle in many jurisdictions because it's a three-wheeler, and Samson claims it can reach speeds of more than 125 mph (201 km/h).
Find an airstrip and go, and the Switchblade's cruising speed is 160 mph (257 km/h), allowing for a 450-mile (724-km) range with a full 36-gal (125-L) tank of gas. For takeoff, you'll need a 1,100-ft (335 m) runway; for landing, you'll only need 700 ft (213 m). Once the flight gear is stowed away, it will easily fit in your garage, standing just 5.1 ft tall and taking up a 16.8 x 6-ft footprint not far off that of a family sedan.
It's easy to lose sight of the original flying car concept in a world full of spectacular eVTOL promises: drive out your front gate, stroll down to the local airfield, fly at high speed over traffic below, touch down at an airport near your destination, and drive yourself right into a parking lot outside the entrance. The fact that this vehicle runs on regular gasoline also makes it possible for you to go cross-country without spending a fortune on fuel.
The team at Samion has been working on this project since the iPhone was a year old, so there's a lot of excitement among them now that the prototype has been inspected and given the go-ahead by the FAA for registration as an experimental aircraft. This means it is ready to fly, and team members have started preparations to do so in the coming weeks. High-speed runway testing, as shown in the video below, is one of these stages.
The Switchblade is a pricey machine, with an "estimated price" of US$150,000 but Samson has already taken reservations for the first 1,670 and counting, according to a recent interview with The Hill. Indeed, one reason why the firm is so eager to get its prototype into the air is that many of its (free) reservations convert into $2,000 deposits within 45 days of the first public flight.
The Switchblade will be sold as a kit aircraft, taking around 2,000 hours to build at home. Samson is creating a Build Assist Center where owners may use a "pro build team" and optimal working conditions to complete their planes in as little as a week. It's time for a paint job and an FAA inspection for experimental aircraft registration afterward, when you'll need a license plate for street operation. A trip to the local DMV later, and you should have your license plates for out of ground flight.
The Switchblade was created to meet Part 23 requirements for complete authorization, and it could eventually be available with fully authorized status.