Coming on the heels of its official first flight, Samson Sky said it has been granted yet another patent for its flying car, the Switchblade. This patent, for the wing-swing design, was granted by the European Union and brings the total number of patents held by the Oregon company to six, with more patents still in the works.
"Having these design patents on the wing-swing is a vital safeguard for Samson. Being able to retract the wings and tail into the vehicle, fully protecting them while driving, is key to what makes the Switchblade truly practical for everyday use. No other flying car has ever had that feature," said Samson CEO Sam Bousfield.
Samson also reports having added more than $5.5 million to their order books in the last several weeks.
The Switchblade breaks new ground with a vehicle that is high-performance both on the road and in the air. The Switchblade has demonstrated a maximum driving speed of over 125 mph (201 km/h) and has an estimated maximum flight speed of 190 mph (305 km/h). The engine powers the wheels on the ground and the propeller in the air.
Samson's flying sports car has a unique hybrid electric system, which uses unleaded auto gas rather than leaded aviation fuel. Owners can fuel up at any auto gas station. The Switchblade's Skybrid hybrid electric drive system for flying cars is also cutting edge, and sets the stage for future all-electric versions of this popular flying car.
From your garage, you drive your street-legal Switchblade to a nearby airport. Once there, you transform the vehicle from driving to flying mode, and fly to the airport closest to your destination, where you land, transform back to driving mode and drive the last few miles to your final destination. The Switchblade seats two, side-by-side, with room to store travel bags, and flies up to 500 miles on a single tank of gas.
