![]() ![]() Once activated for flight mode, the wings swing out and the tail extends in less than three minutes. Samson also plans to offer one-of-one Limited Edition models starting at $770,000. ![]() The company says that the two-mode conveyance can be driven from the garage to the local airport, where it launches into flight. The $170,000 Switchblade flying car from Oregon-based Samson Sky is a two-passenger, three-wheeled, street-legal vehicle. Instead, the vehicle’s blades generate lift, and its forward thrust is provided by a separate motor and propeller, like a fixed-wing airplane but with a shorter takeoff distance. It cannot rise vertically because it is not powered by a rotor. Unlike a helicopter, the Liberty Sport requires a short airstrip for takeoff. Its flight range will be roughly 250 miles when with two passengers, or 310 miles, with just the pilot. In road-going mode, the Liberty Sport will hit 0 to 60 mph in less than nine seconds on its way to a top speed just below 100 mph. The company says the three-wheeled car converts into a two-passenger gyroplane in less than five minutes. ![]() The $300,000 Liberty Sport from Netherlands-based PAL-V International is currently in its final test program and slated to begin deliveries next year. Until then, however, owners will be responsible for driving and flying. Though years away, the eventual plan for many is to go fully autonomous when in flight mode. Several of the vehicles will be sold as kits, which makes for easier approval under FAA regulatory structures. Kyriakos Kourousis, program director at the University of Limerick program in airworthiness and fellow at the Royal Aeronautical Society: “The market could be bigger than that corresponding to ultralight/light and general aviation aircraft.” That translates to thousands of flying cars. Unlike eVTOLs, flying cars actually fit into existing regulatory structures. Most will require a standard driver’s license and some type of drone or pilot’s license. One firm in Florida already has a flying car on the market and three others are close to ushering their concepts into production. Companies around the world are trying to solve the problem of urban congestion by lifting travelers above the traffic. It may not be long before you can look up to the skies and see cars flying overhead. ![]()
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