According to an international newspaper, a flying car developed in the United States has been granted permission to fly.
Samson Switchblade may finally begin flight tests now that the FAA, the American government’s aviation regulatory body, has given the project the green light. The Switchblade, which took 14 years to develop, will be tested in a high-speed taxi test.
According to Samson Sky, the car has received 2,100 bookings for test drives.
The flying car has a unique quality because it is available as a DIY kit. Each kit comes with avionics, an engine, and the Samson Builder Assist Program.
The three-wheeled vehicle is easy to park in a person’s garage. The owner will have to drive it from there to the nearest airport. Before taking off, the car must idle for three minutes.
Switchblade can reach 306 km/h and has a range of 21,000 miles. After landing, you can return the vehicle to driving mode.
With the push of a button, the two-seat vehicle transforms from car to aero-plane. The wings, like the pocket tool from which it gets its name, fit into the body of the vehicle when on the road and then pop out for air travel.
Don’t worry: there are mechanisms in place to ensure that the wings remain open in flight even if you accidentally press a button at the wrong time.
Sam Bousfield, the company’s founder and CEO, was an architect before embarking on this latest venture, which has now been 14 years in the making.
“One thing that has always stuck with me is that an architect is part engineer and part artist,” Bousfield tells AD. “It turns out that is a nice combination with which to approach something as out of the box as a flying car.”
To read our blog on “Suzuki is developing its first flying car ever,” click here