The Samson Switchblade, a fast, street-legal three-wheeler that converts at the touch of a button into a 200-miles-per-hour airplane, has been approved for airworthiness by the FAA. The team is now preparing for flight tests.
source.image: Global Update
The Switchblade is a three-wheel, street legal vehicle that you drive from your garage to a nearby local airport. Once there, the wings swing out and the tail extends in under 3 minutes. You then fly your registered aircraft directly to your destination – at up to 200 mph and 13,000 feet.
source.image: Global Update
The Switchblade is named after the knife-like way its wings swing out from beneath its two-seat cabin when it’s time to fly. The tail, swings out from where it’s stowed behind the large pusher prop, then unfolds into a generous T shape.
Advertisement
Samson says the entire push-button conversion from street-legal trike to aircraft takes less than three minutes, and while it’s yet to demonstrate the entire process on a physical prototype, it looks like it’ll be a pretty spectacular process.
Switchblade can achieve a maximum airspeed of 200 mph, cruise speed of 160 mph, maximum driving speed of 125+ mph, a range of 450 miles, and a stall speed of 67 mph.The aircraft is made from composites and its fuselage shape was inspired by Ferrari automotive designs. Its 26.9 ft span wing has an area of 67 sq ft and fits slotted flaps. Standard engines available will be a 160 hp or 190 hp Motus Motorcycles powerplant and the 170 hp Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine.
