Tom Melia –

Retired Corporate Pilot, U.S. Navy Pilot

I always thought a flying car was possible and knew sooner or later somebody would develop one that was not only great looking, but one that would also deliver great performance.

Even at a young age I was interested in aviation. Building and flying model airplanes was how I spent most of my time. After graduating from college with an Aeronautical Engineering degree, I started my flying career in the Navy flying P3s. It was a great way to see the world.

Out of the Navy, the next 34 years were spent flying all over the world in a corporate flight department. By the time I retired, I was the director of flight operations, with over 18,000 hours and 11 different type ratings.

All this time, I never owned any airplanes, but once the kids were out of the house, I decided it was finally time to buy. I’ve been a member of EAA for many years and always wanted to build something, but in all my looking, I never found the ideal airplane. I always thought a flying car was possible and knew sooner or later somebody would develop one that was not only great looking, but one that would also deliver great performance.

Then I saw the Switchblade. I was really intrigued by the design and always kept up with how it was progressing. I had been following the development from day one, and when the opportunity came along to buy the Switchblade with the builder assist program, I knew that was the airplane for me.

Communication with the designer on a project like this is very important, and Sam Bousfield has done a wonderful job of keeping his buyers updated on the entire design, wind tunnel testing, and building the pre-production prototype.

I’m really looking forward to First Flight and to getting my Switchblade. Maybe someday I’ll fly it to Alaska!

P.S. Since I’m going to have a flying sports car, I decided I might as well sell my Corvette. Now there’s a nice space in my garage, ready and waiting.

Tom Melia – Texas, USA