Sam Bousfield (at the podium in the image below) was one of 40 international speakers at the Electric Aircraft Symposium held in July 2025 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As part of a panel on Regional Air Mobility, Sam presented how the Switchblade provides a ‘ready now’ solution in this arena.
“More parts, more molds, more progress, more allowable weight!”
Sam Bousfield
CEO & Founder
Announcement at AirVenture
Samson Sky held our annual VIP dinner for Owners and Investors at AirVenture and during the briefing, it was released that the engineering team had been hard at work to reduce the empty weight of the vehicle to allow for a higher useful load. The initial design for this Gen 2 Switchblade targeted Useful Load at 600 lb. (an increase over the proof-of-concept’s 575 lb.).
We have found ways to reduce the weight of the vehicle and were able to announce a Useful Load increase to 625 lb! It is unusual at this point in the design to be losing weight, but we may still yet lose more! Go Team! There were many who went back for a second helping of dessert after the news.
More Molds and Parts Completed
The front quarter panels on the left and right side of the nose of the vehicle have now been completed, as well as the nose surround. The rear quarter panels are next. We are working to get the nose top surface done also so we can complete the nose cone as the first completed sub-assembly for the Switchblade. We will also use these parts to make a test of the radiator ducting and heat rejection.
To do this we are building a water heater test tank to pre-heat the water to above engine temperatures, then drive the truck-mounted front nose cone section along with radiator and ducting at high speeds to check heat rejection of the system. Temperature probes monitor the coolant temperature before and after the radiator. When we have the data of the coolant flow plus heat change through the radiator, we can calculate the system adequacy without having to hook up the engine to it.
The rear belly pan mold was finished also, adding to the other completed molds waiting to have parts made from them. Composite Approach in Redmond, Oregon, is doing an excellent job making these molds and parts for us. We are putting even greater engineering assets into the project in order to finalize engineering and allow a smooth flow of carbon fiber parts layups and parts making.
Electric Aircraft Symposium Talk
Sam Bousfield (at the podium in the image below) was one of 40 international speakers at the Electric Aircraft Symposium held July 19 & 20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As part of a panel on Regional Air Mobility, Sam presented how the Switchblade provides a ‘ready now’ solution in this arena. His talk was very well received. It was inspiring to learn more about the cutting-edge technology in electric aircraft around the world and there was some excellent collaboration among leaders at the event.
The consensus seems to be that while significant progress has been made in electric battery technology for aircraft, it still has a ways to go. From what I saw at the symposium, hybrid electric systems are leading the way in aviation. We are proud to be part of that.
Short and Tall People Fit Comfortably!
One of the improvements in our new production model is that the interiors are more spacious than the initial model. We have more headroom and more shoulder room now. The seat backs will tilt back, allowing taller people increased headroom. One of our past engineering interns visited us the other day and was able to comfortably get his 6′-7″ body into the Switchblade cockpit mockup. Shorter people will also have adjustments available to make it comfortable for them as well, leaving the Switchblade with the ability to be driven/piloted by people of many body sizes and shapes.
Blue Skies
Sam
CEO/Founder
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Switchblade in the News
Check out the latest media about the Switchblade and Samson Sky
Aviation Pros
Samson Sky CEO Speaks to the Role of Flying Cars at Electric Aircraft Symposium | Aviation Pros
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