Famed Supercar Blondie says the Samson Sky Switchblade is a flying car that’s faster than most supercars.
“Yes, I am still smiling after receiving the Global Innovator of the Year award in Congress last month.”
CEO & Founder
Supercar of the Sky
Did you see the article by famed Supercar Blondie where they stated that the Switchblade was faster than most supercars? Okay, they compared our top speed in the air at 160 mph to the ground speed of most supercars, but speed is speed! A 0-60 mph at 5 seconds, and top speed on the ground of 110 mph is not bad either! Supercar Blondie is a top tier global content creator based in Dubai but world-wide in coverage. Having been in Dubai several times lately, I can vouch that it is probably the world’s highest concentration of supercars. But none of the other supercars can fly!
Lighter is Better
I am happy to say we found lighter electric motors for the wheels and props in time for production. Motor technology is advancing rapidly right now – faster than battery technology. We are evaluating motors that weigh half that of the ones recently sent for review at Dayton in the University lab. It is not too late to swap out these new motors in our hybrid system and would not slow down our delivery. It would save considerable weight, however!
Simpler Hybrid
We also simplified our hybrid electric system, taking unneeded complexity out of the design. This gives us a more robust design with less to go wrong. Like Space-X, we like to keep things simple and try to remove elements that don’t need to be there. For a vehicle that has to completely store all wings and tail inside the body, the Switchblade isn’t ‘simple’ by any description, but it is as simple as it can be to fulfill the mission of a regional flying car.
People may not realize, but insurers have stated many times that they will not insure a flying car that does not completely protect the wings and tail on the ground. One can see the reasoning, as if you parked in a parking lot with exposed wings or tail, and someone backed their car into you and slightly damaged the flying surfaces without leaving a note, you might take off and find out mid-flight that you have compromised flight structure. That future flight accident may have been caused by the ground damage, but flying insurers would be forced to pay the bill.
Until there are hundreds or thousands of flying cars out there, insurers will require separate insurance for ground and air. At some point it will make sense to combine coverage, at which point one policy will cover both.
Tail Structures
We are now into producing the layup schedules (description of the specific layers of carbon fiber cloth and where they go) for the tail structure. When this is done the tail will be released for manufacturing. We had earlier completed about 75% of the tail engineering, including the engineering for the hinges, locks, moving control surfaces, and tail balancing mechanisms. The engineers are going over this to spot any further savings in weight, but for the most part the tail is fairly complete in engineering. A portion of the tail is shown in the engineering screenshot below.
Long-Term Finances
We are happy to see our relationship with a Dubai financial group moving towards completion for the majority of funding for our initial U.S. factory. We have mentioned this before, but recent meetings are solidifying the agreements we have earlier reached. Not to say that there aren’t investment opportunities still available for Accredited Investors, but it is mostly the last part of the investment required which will be escrowed as ‘last to be used’. Anyone wishing to find out what is available can contact us at: Investor Relations
Update on Reservations
With little to no advertising or media spend, we still keep gaining members onto our Reservation List. New people putting their name on the list for a future Switchblade have now bumped our reservation number past 2,900! And this doesn’t include the potential orders from any of the Memorandum of Understandings we have signed in the last three months.
We have 140 pre-purchased Switchblades for the Pre-flight Owners at the beginning of that list, who ‘paid for’ a Standard Switchblade but are receiving a Founder Edition (Special Edition). Next up there are 135 slots that were kept for a second Special Edition series to be sold and delivered as we ramp up the main production line. The Reservation List and Delivery Position Numbers started with #275 to set aside those initial Switchblades for the Pre-flight Owners and the following Special Edition run.
Having these 135 Special Edition vehicles allows us to keep the price of the Standard Switchblade in the vicinity of our earlier projections (adjusted for inflation) as we ramp up delivery and lower the overall vehicle production costs. These numbers were always factored into the Reservation numbering, and do not shift anyone on our list. Those who have put down a non-refundable deposit of $500 have gained a fixed delivery position that remains unchanged.
Those who are on the Reservation List and who have not put a deposit down will slide behind those who do put deposits down. The way to get a fixed delivery slot is to place a Deposit using the How to Reserve page of the website. You can Deposit to get a fixed delivery slot near the head of the line, or Reserve to just simply put your name on the list.
Blue Side Up
Sam
CEO/Founder
Switchblade in the News
Check out the latest media about the Switchblade and Samson Sky
Supercar Blondie
Switchblade Faster Than Most Supercars
Aviation & Defence Universe, India
State Aviation Journal
Founder receives national recognition
