New design revealed for flying car

A rendering of the new Switchblade was unveiled at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024.

During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024, Samson Sky unveiled a new design for its flying car, the Switchblade.

After having its first flight in November 2023, the Switchblade went through the production engineering phase, which “yielded tremendous improvements, including a new, sleeker body shape and thruster design,” company officials reported.

“We validated many parameters during flight testing including stability in all three axis, positive control authority, balanced control feel, and effectiveness of the flaps for descent and landing,” said Samson Sky CEO and Founder Sam Bousfield. “We also validated that we needed more thrust and less drag.”

The engineering team “dove right into solving the thrust/drag issue and considered all options, including tweaking the existing single large, ducted fan at the rear of the vehicle,” company officials said.

“When all configurations were reviewed, there was no question that we should embrace a more streamlined body design with thrusters,” Bousfield said. “It allowed us to keep what worked well during flight testing, plus more fully protect the flying surfaces in ground mode.”

A rendering of the new Switchblade design.

“In May of this year, we used a mostly 3D printed model to validate the enhanced configuration in the Kirsten Wind Tunnel at the University of Washington in Seattle. The new, larger wing and tail complemented the thruster efficiency increase and body drag decrease to tremendously improve upon our initial design,” he said.

Key takeaways:

• Switchblade signature wing swing and overall layout remain the same
• Increase of MGTOW to 2,600 pounds
• Wing area increased from 67 to 99 square feet
• Decreased landing speed
• Decreased takeoff speed
• Sleeker body with reduced drag
• Thrusters in clean air increased propeller efficiency significantly
• Two additional patents filed
• Hybrid electric drivetrain
• Increased fuel capacity to 40 gallons
• New tail fold design fully encloses and protects the tail in drive mode

The company claims the Switchblade has already achieved 125 mph in ground testing, while the recent wind tunnel testing confirmed the ability to fly in cruise mode at 160 mph.

“The new design destroys the misconception that a flying car has to be a mediocre car or a mediocre plane or both,” Bousfield said. “A respectable 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds is projected for the hybrid electric vehicle in ground mode, which I think most people will really enjoy.”

The design is now in the production phase. Samson’s schedule has three Production Prototypes to be built over the next 18 months to validate the assembly process. The Production Fixtures can then be moved to the initial production facility for the start of serial production, according to company officials.

The Switchblade reservation list tops 2,600 from more than 57 countries, with firm deposits taken for 530 of those to lock-in a fixed earlier delivery position, company officials continued.

Future plans include the development of an AI co-pilot and a Pilot Training Program for Switchblade owners who will need to become pilots, they added.