Looking to operate a flying car, but not a pilot? This company has you covered

Flying cars have long been heralded as a wave of the future. 

But getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that can fly is (probably) much different than one that stays on the ground. 

Thus, Samson Sky – a flying vehicle manufacturing company based in Oregon – is rolling out a pilot training program for people who are looking to get a flying car but aren’t pilots.  

Samson Sky says an “increasingly large number of non-pilots” have been registering for their first model, the Samson Switchblade Flying Sports Car, which is the company’s high-performance vehicle that both drives and flies.  

“The company intends to use this program to help streamline the customer experience,” Samson Sky said in a media release.

Samson Sky CEO and founder Sam Bousfield standing next to the Samson Sky Switchblade. (Samson Sky)

The company noted that it has conducted “extensive” marketing surveys targeting the “regional travel market” in particular, or people who take trips between 250 and 500 miles for business, pleasure or both.

“The survey results of regional travelers showed a remarkable level of interest in purchasing a flying car,” Samson Sky CEO and founder Sam Bousfield said. “Eighty percent of those expressing interest in purchasing a flying car were non-pilots.”

For those who think that obtaining a pilot’s license is hard, company officials say to think again.

“While some people have the idea that getting a pilot’s license acts as a barrier to entry in the aviation industry, history tells the opposite,” Samson Sky’s media release said. “The number of U.S. student pilots tripled over five years, reaching 320,000 by 2023.”

Samson Sky’s pilot training program is not exclusively for Switchblade owners; non-customers will also be able to take advantage of the program to earn their wings, the company says. Samson will be partnering with established flight schools while also laying the foundation for its own specific training programs.

A rendering of the interior of the Samson Sky Switchblade. (Samson Sky)

The Switchblade is a highway-capable hybrid electric vehicle that can be parked in a regular garage and driven to the closest airport, where within three minutes and once flight mode is enabled, the wings swing out and the tail extends.

Then, all you need is to be cleared for takeoff. 

“You fly your registered aircraft to the airport nearest your destination, then simply land, transform back into driving mode, and drive the last few miles,” the company says. “The Switchblade seats two people side-by-side with room for travel bags and flies up to 450 miles on a single tank of premium gasoline. The estimated cruise speed in the air is 160 miles per hour.”

The maiden flight of the Samson Sky Switchblade. (Samson Sky)

The Switchblade is an experimental category aircraft, Samson Sky says.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not provide certification for this category of aircraft.

According to the Samson Sky website, the Switchblade, which is currently only able to be reserved, has an estimated price of $170,000.

They also have other concept models, the Switchblade Special and Switchblade Limited, which have estimated price tags of $330,000 and $770,000, respectively.

Will Conybeare, Digital News Producer