By Charles Carter, 01/11/22
US startup Samson Sky is developing a road worthy three wheeler car, called Switchblade, that can transform into a mini plane and take to the skies.
After 14 years of development, the team has moved their prototype to a testing airport in the build up to the first flight which they say is just “weeks away”.
So far, 2,100 people from 53 countries have reserved a Switchblade to purchase when production begins after the first flight.
How does it work?
A custom built 190 horsepower liquid-cooled 3-cylinder “Skybrid” gasoline engine powers both driving and flying with 125mph top speed on the ground and 200mph in the air up to 13,000 feet.
The machine has a gross takeoff weight of 840kg, which includes 260kg for fuel, passengers and luggage.
The wings and tail unfurl in around 3 mins and it has room for two people including the pilot.
For flying, the Switchblade will be registered as an Experimental Category aircraft. On the road, it will be registered as a custom motorcycle or kit car, depending on location.
To meet Experimental Category aircraft rules, 51 percent of the aircraft must be built by the owners.
So Samson are selling the flying car as a kit with build assistance from their engineers.
The kit which includes instrumentation and authorisation for the pilot to fly in cloudy and zero visibility conditions costs $195,000 USD.
What are the potential benefits?
Being able to drive on the road and fly between airports makes the machine versatile and convenient.
You could do an end-to-end journey across land and air in the same vehicle.
Initial uptake will most likely be among wealthy existing amateur pilots but could the innovation bring a new type of customer into the aviation space if a subscription model emerged?
Converting car trips into plane trips could also help reduce congestion, pollution and noise on the roads.
Perhaps an electric version is needed to capture the imaginations of more future gazers though.
Questions for you. Comment below
- First thought that comes into your head?
- Pros and cons according to you?
- Other applications of this approach?
- What could this be combined with?
