The Switchblade flying sports car is expected to fly by the end of the year and the Oregon company continues to amass a substantial order book. Company President Sam Bousfield said in a podcast interview he had hoped first flight would have occurred before AirVenture 2018 but the tail needed some modifications to improve flight characteristics. That work has been done and the virtually completed flight test article, minus the engine, is on display at the company booth at AirVenture.
Bousfield said the company wants a best-of-both-worlds vehicle that’s fun and capable to fly and drive. It has relatively high wing loading at 25 pounds per square foot and will land at about 60 knots. He said that because of the automotive style brakes, the aircraft can be flown onto the runway “like a jet” and still stop quickly on the runway. The company has attracted 667 orders to date.
