Switchblade soars: A Prineville man’s long-sought dream of a ‘flying sports car’ has just had …

‘It was almost like a timeless moment’: Prineville creator’s ‘flying sports car’ soars in its maiden flight

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — It’s something straight out of a sci-fi movie – a transforming flying car is being built right here in Central Oregon.

“When it actually happened, it was almost like a timeless moment,” Samson Sky CEO and founder Sam Bousfield said Thursday. “It almost — (it) happened, and you’re just waiting as this thing goes around you watching it. And then it touched down again, and you realize, ‘Holy cow — this just happened! Even for us. I think that was a moment in time.”

The Samson Sky switchblade hit a major milestone this month by taking its first flight for nearly six minutes at the Grant County Airport in Washington.

This milestone feat comes after 14 years of hard work.

To fly a Switchblade, you need a private pilot’s license, which is about 40 hours of instruction. The flying car is a two-seater, side by side. It starts out as a sleek sports vehicle, and then wings unfold, and a fin pops out the back.

The estimated cost is $170,000, $195,000 if you add advanced features. Those advanced features focus on the flight instruments — which allow you to travel through  bad weather. 

The first production is still at least two years out, the company says — and the goal is to try to create more flying cars. 

Bousfield said, “It’s a true flying car drives and flies. The second is that it’s high-performance in both modes. and the third is that it’s a practical flying car. In other words, the wings and tail are fully protected in ground mode.”

The Switchblade has a maximum driving speed of 125 miles per hour and an estimated maximum flight speed of 190 miles per hour.

Here’s the company’s video and news release on its maiden flight:

Maiden Flight of Switchblade About to Make
Regional Travel Easier, Faster and Way More Fun

Kelsey McGee, Reporter