{"id":22,"date":"2010-01-22T17:16:12","date_gmt":"2010-01-22T22:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/?p=22"},"modified":"2026-04-13T06:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:35:07","slug":"mark-my-word-a-combination-airplane-and-motorcar-is-coming-you-may-smile-but-it-will-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2010\/01\/mark-my-word-a-combination-airplane-and-motorcar-is-coming-you-may-smile-but-it-will-come\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark my word: A combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile. But it will come…"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Switchblade by Samson Motorworks<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Harry Kraemer<\/p>\n

In the mid 1960s my father gave me a book on cars and in this book I saw a flying car that Ford was to develop \u2013 the Volante (this book is now the center piece of my collection).\u00a0 The space race was at its peak, the United States was about to put a man on the moon.\u00a0 TV shows like The Jetsons, Star Trek, and Lost In Space were on the air. \u00a0And as a young kid I thought we would soon have a flying car in our driveway.\u00a0 At that time I became fascinated with flying cars.\u00a0 Over the years I have collected everything I could find related to flying cars (everything I could find and afford<\/span>).\u00a0 I have books, models, research papers, CAD drawings from failed companies, etc.\u00a0 I have an entire room full of flying car memorabilia (an interest and collection that has grown for over 40 years).<\/p>\n

Some consider me a flying car historian rather than simply an enthusiast; however it may be I cannot wait for a massed produced, practical flying car\/motorcycle.\u00a0 One vehicle that is truly a door-to-door travel machine.\u00a0 I follow the progress for all of the flying cars currently on the drawing boards (for more informationon flying cars\u00a0click here<\/a>) and one that I see as having a lot of potential is the Switchblade (Designed by Mr. Sam Bousfield) by Samson Motorworks. The Switchblade is a 3-wheeled fully enclosed flying motorcycle.\u00a0 It is a sleek looking machine that looks like it is moving just sitting still.\u00a0 Being a long time motorcycle rider (I own several antique motorcycles and 3-wheeled vehicles) as well as a pilot this really catches my attention.\u00a0 Combined with the trend of \u201cgoing green\u201d and the consumer looking to spend wisely I have noticed an increase in the number of 3-wheeled motorcycles\/cars being produced and sold.\u00a0 Such vehicles are usually very environmentally friendly and economical to operate.\u00a0 So for the prudent pilot, the Switchblade could be the perfect solution.<\/p>\n

I recently had the chance to conduct an interview with Mr. Sam Bousfield, President of Samson Motorworks (click here to visit their site<\/a>).\u00a0 The company is currently working on 3 vehicles: the Switchblade, Hybrid AeroBike, and the AeroBike.\u00a0 The company refers to the vehicles as Multi Mode Vehicles (MMV).\u00a0 A MMV is the SUV for the aviator, a true off-road vehicle. Plans are for the Switchblade to be the first available.\u00a0 The Hybrid AeroBike and the AeroBike are non-flying vehicles.\u00a0 In Addition to the MMVs Mr. Bousfield is also working on a record breaking racing plane design.\u00a0 The Switchblade has evolved over the years from the SkyBike Flying Motorcycle which had a telescoping wing design to the Switchblade which has a scissor wing design.\u00a0 The wings on the Switchblade move forward like scissors to store within the belly on the vehicle for ground use.\u00a0 Mr. Bousfield told me that they are still refining the Switchblade and will release new images when they have settled on the final design.\u00a0 The new scissor wing design solved many issues that may have slowed down development.\u00a0 And in addition with this new wing design they are able to increase the wing-span and do away with the canard.\u00a0 It also has reduced the stall speed.\u00a0 The company has chosen DAR Corp (http:\/\/www.darcorp.com\/) as the lead engineer and the companies are working together to refine the final design.\u00a0 DAR Corp has worked on other successful aircraft designs such as the Piaggio Avanti and the Milner AirCar (another flying car).<\/p>\n

The Switchblade will be available in kit form and the company plans to have the kit available before the end of 2011.\u00a0 A completed Switchblade is estimated to cost around $80,000.00 including the engine and avionics.\u00a0 With side-by-side seating with room for golf clubs, the Switchblade is the ultimate get-away vehicle.\u00a0 And with a cruise speed of 150 MPH (with a 150 HP engine) and over 200 MPH with a 230 HP (the Switchblade is being designed to accept a variety of power-plants) engine the Switchblade competes with the factory produced high-performance singles that sell for over a half-a-million dollars.\u00a0 The company estimates that it will get 55 mpg on the ground and 22 mpg in the air using automotive gasoline.\u00a0 Range is estimated to be 880 miles on the ground and 340 in the air.\u00a0 The Switchblade will also be equipped with heating and air conditioning to keep you comfortable on the ground and in the air.<\/p>\n

To assist builders and to facilitate training the company plans to set up Assembly Assistance Centers and Switchblade MMV Learning Centers throughout the country.\u00a0 The centers would most likely be part of a 141 school and Mr. Bousfield has a business plan to attract and retain career instructors to the program.\u00a0 And in an effort to reduce the build time and ensure proper assembly the Assembly Assistance Centers will be available to builders.\u00a0 I think the Assembly Assistance Centers and the Switchblade Learning Centers will be vital to the success of the Switchblade.\u00a0 Too many manufactures do not have adequate support or proper training in place prior to their product launch and the consumer is left to learn on their own (usually by costly mistakes).<\/p>\n

I see endless marketing possibilities for the Switchblade.\u00a0 For the pilot that also rides motorcycles this is the perfect vehicle.\u00a0 Imagine the cost savings.\u00a0 For one you will not need to rent a hangar at the local airport (T-hangar rent ranges from $300 per month to as high as $700 per month depending on your location).\u00a0 No more car rentals once you arrive at your destination.\u00a0 In some states you do not need to have a motorcycle license to drive a 3-wheel motorcycle and insurance and registration is usually less expensive. And instead of paying 20 to 30 thousand dollars for a high end motorcycle (or second car) and well over a hundred thousand dollars for a half way decent cross country aircraft (used), you can have a Switchblade that replaces both.\u00a0 The bottom line is that the Switchblade offers convenience and money savings in a very practicable vehicle.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Flying cars are not something new.\u00a0 Flying cars actually predate the Wright Brothers first flight.\u00a0 This is not to say that they were successful in flying.\u00a0 The earliest know flying car is from the late 1800s.\u00a0 You will also be surprised to know that many of the major automobile manufacturers have had flying car concepts or have experimented with designs.\u00a0 These manufacturers include General Motors, Ford, and numerous others.\u00a0 Boeing has had a few concept models over the years.\u00a0 Glenn Curtiss also developed a flying car in the early 1900s that reportedly did have a successful flight.\u00a0 Today NASA is a big supporter of flying cars.<\/p>\n

Henry Ford, Chairman, Ford Motor Company-1940<\/strong>
\n“Mark my word: A combination airplane and motorcar is coming. \u00a0 You may smile.\u00a0 But it will come…”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Switchblade by Samson Motorworks By Harry Kraemer In the mid 1960s my father gave me a book on cars and in this book I saw a flying car that Ford was to develop \u2013 the Volante (this book is now the center piece of my collection).\u00a0 The space race was at its peak, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p95FsX-m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3030,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2019\/02\/flying-cars-past-present-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":22,"position":0},"title":"Flying Cars, Past, Present, & Future","date":"February 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As a young child in the early 1960s I grew up hanging out in the garage with my father, at the marina with my grandfather, and at small local airports.\u00a0 My interest in flying cars started about that time.\u00a0 Around 1963 I was given a book called \u201cThe Golden Stamp\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2961,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2019\/02\/kraemer-aviation-flymall-wheels-wings-february-2019-newsletter\/","url_meta":{"origin":22,"position":1},"title":"Kraemer Aviation \/ Flymall Wheels & Wings February 2019 Newsletter","date":"February 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation \/ Flymall Wheels & Wings\u00a0February \u00a02019 Newsletter.\u00a0 Lots of exciting items this month.\u00a0 Click here for past newsletters.\u00a0 Click here for our February 2019 Newsletter. 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Terrafugia, the developer of the Transition Roadable Aircraft,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":744,"url":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/now-heres-a-flying-car\/","url_meta":{"origin":22,"position":5},"title":"Now here’s a flying car","date":"October 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Newsletters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10181,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions\/10181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flymall.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}