OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – There's no shortage of wild airplanes and even wilder ideas here at the big AirVenture airshow, but one of the most outlandish is the Switchblade, a DIY flying trike with folding wings.
Samson Motor Works unveiled an engineering mockup and a scale model of the bullet-shaped experimental aircraft today and announced that it is ready to take orders for the $60,000 vehicle. Test flights won't begin until next year at the earliest and you won't see kits until sometime after that, but that isn't stopping CEO Sam Bousfield from hailing the Switchblade as the Next Big Thing.
“The future for general aviation is as gloomy as winter in Iceland,” he said, "but we really believe that this has the potential to bring a new generation of pilots into aviation.”
He's completely serious, and says the craft could revolutionize how we travel. He envisions a future where people drive from their home to the local airport, then take to the air.
"Imagine if you could fly across LA," he said. "What might that do for you business?"
Samson calls the Switchblade "a multi-mode vehicle." The three-wheeler is 15 feet high, 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Features include ducted fan propeller and retractable wings that swing closed like the blade of a -- you guessed it -- switchblade. They're housed under the vehicle’s belly.
The Switchblade has a 16 gallon fuel tank, runs on unleaded gas and can use a variety of engines including the Lycoming I0-320 or engines pulled from a Yamaha FJR 1300 or Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. The company claims the Switchblade will do 90 mph on the ground and get 60 mpg. Cruising speed in the air is said to be 150 mph with fuel economy of 22 mpg.
“We making it as green as it can be,” Bousfield told Wired.com. “Maximum fuel efficiency and maximum performance.”
The Switchblade's promised standard features run from the practical -- a digital instrument panel that automatically changes from ground vehicle to flight instruments, a ballistic parachute recovery system, etc. -- to nifty accouterments like an MP3 player with satellite radio and “fully adjustable, plush leather seats."
Inventors, engineers and crackpots have been promising us flying cars since the 1920s. A few -- Aerocar most notably -- have delivered and Terrafugia is tantalizing people with its "Roadable Airplane." But this is the first time we've heard of a flying trike. So why a three-wheeler?
“The regulations around motorcycle manufacturing are almost nonexistent compared to those for cars,” Bousfield said. “That simplifies things on our end.”
That's not to suggest navigating the complex regulations inherent in developing a vehicle that flies and drives won't be a challenge.
“You’ve got the FAA, the DOT, and others,” he says. “But we’ve been keeping their requirements in mind throughout the design and engineering process.”
Bousfield said Samson has recently completed months of detailed engineering work and testing, a process he said went so smoothly it was “almost disappointing.” The biggest issue, he said, was addressing the vehicle's wing sweep. Samson says the design, with the wings at the back, accomplishes two things. First, it keeps the center of gravity low and to the back to increase stability on the ground. It also is resistant to stalling in the air.
Bousfield says the company plans to sell the Switchblade only in kit form. It hopes to establish "builder assistance centers" on both coasts to help owners assemble them. The kit will go for $60,000, but you’re looking at around $80,000 once you've added the engine and avionics. Sort of pricey in this recessionary age, isn’t it? Bousfield says that while he can't be sure how the economy will impact sales, up to now the signs have been encouraging.
“Things are bad out there, but we’ve been hearing from people who are really interested," he said. "We’re more worried about people finding the lending to finance a sale than we are about lack of interest.”
The Switchblade is parked next to the booth where Terrafugia is showing off its "Roadable Aircraft." Bousfield seems genuinely happy by his competitor's success.
“Their test flight was great, and we’re happy for them,” he says. “They have their vehicle and we have ours, they have their vision and we have ours.”
Main photo: Jason Paur / Wired.com. Others as credited.
