Prineville’s Samson Sky granted sixth patent, sees orders surge after first flight of flying sports car

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Coming on the heels of their Official First Flight, announced November 9, Samson Sky announced that it has been granted yet another patent for their high-performance 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.                                    

Sam Bousfield, Samson CEO and designer of the Switchblade stated, “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.”

Samson also reports having added over $5.5 million to their order books in the last several weeks, with media coverage of their Switchblade’s maiden flight reaching a total potential audience of over 220 million people.

“To say that our investors are very excited about our huge milestone of the Switchblade’s official first flight, is definitely an understatement. The congratulations and votes of confidence just keep pouring in!” stated Bousfield.

The Switchblade breaks new ground with a vehicle that is high-performance both on the road and in the air. This feature sets it apart from other entrants in the race to provide the first practical flying car. The Switchblade has demonstrated a maximum driving speed of 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. This system has features found in no other vehicle on earth.

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.

For more information about the Switchblade and to follow its progress into production, visit: www.SamsonSky.com.