Bob Stiles –

Software Engineer, Technology Enthusiast

This is how Steve Jobs would have designed a flying car.

Over the past few years, my family and I have had several great visits at the Samson facility. On visit #1, I was really the main person who was excited, but my wife was soon won over when she learned more about all the safety features and extensive testing that had been done. I think it’s fair to say that our 4 daughters loved the Switchblade at first sight.

Even before the prototype was there, it was easy to visualize flying/driving the Switchblade while sitting in the ground prototype, wooden ergonomic model and dash mockup.  It was fantastic to sit in the real prototype with my wife. The visibility is amazing. Very roomy. I’m 6’ and I think I will have to move the seat up some.

On one visit, I brought 11 other people (family) and now they’re all Switchblade Enthusiasts! Samson owners Sam and Martha Bousfield were super nice and open about everything. They made my family feel very welcome and spent time showing them around, answering all the questions from the little kids and adults. I think they might have converted a couple little ones to future pilots (and hopefully Switchblade owners) like their uncle.  Anyone who has met these two will know what I’m talking about. They are a great asset and are perfect to run this operation.

We always enjoy seeing all the fine work of Chief Builder Ron Burch, and Sam gave me a breakdown of all the different teams in various places. There is a lot going on! I really liked seeing how the controls will mesh with the wing push rods. Very cool and sound design.  I think this will come together pretty fast now.

You can see the quality of the design and engineering up close, and it is a thing of beauty. The best designs are the ones that can take something complex and make it look simple and elegant. It takes a lot of time and skill to do that. The Switchblade is a great example. This is how Steve Jobs would have designed a flying car.

Bob Stiles – Washington, USA