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Flying motorcycle to soar in 2010
Samson Motorworks designs flying motorcycles, and now the company has modified its approach, rolling out the airworthy Switchblade. It's a three-wheeled multimode vehicle (MMV) with a scissors-like wing for flying and a torsion bar lean system for its role as a road rocket.
This 15-foot vehicle improves upon its predecessor, the Aerobike, by trimming 200 pounds of excess weight, and if something goes wrong when you're flying at its 134mph airborne cruise speed, it's packing a parachute under which you can float safely back to earth.
This looks like even more fun than a flying car, or even that 200mph jet bike, which was much faster than this, but stays securely planted on terra firma. Want one of these flying Switchblades? Samson's not talking price yet, but says the sky bike will be ready for sale by early next year.
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Samson Motorworks, via Gizmag
By muss34 at 3:18 PM ON 06/03/09
As weird as it looks , This design actually solves a lot of problems for transforming flying vehicles .
By namelessme at 8:11 PM ON 06/04/09
the government won't let this become a reality.
By piratebob69 at 6:55 PM ON 06/05/09
namelessme couldnt be closer to the truth. The government is making to much money off of us poor working slobs from the sale of fossil fuels to let something like this to be released.
By #1 Picturecar guy at 5:05 PM ON 06/08/09
How do I get a dealership? Can I use one in my next film? Do you need a pilot's license or experience?
By jakhandy at 3:11 PM ON 06/12/09
Nasa has been working on a program that would allow personal vehicles to automatically take off, fly, and land when given destination points. Therefore we will not have millions of civilians flying aimlessly around the skys. Once that is put in place, I see this becoming a reality. The world is changing...your pessimism may be slowing the change...but the change is coming regardless =)
By jakhandy at 3:12 PM ON 06/12/09
Nasa has been working on a program that would allow personal vehicles to automatically take off, fly, and land when given destination points. Therefore we will not have millions of civilians flying aimlessly around the skies. Once that is put in place, I see this becoming a reality. The world is changing...your pessimism may be slowing the change...but the change is coming regardless =)
By Pilot at 11:26 PM ON 06/14/09
This is purely a concept at this point, but given sufficient funding it could fly (most such worthy schemes have died prior to production for lack of resources). If it does get past the prototype stage, and meets the rules for a ultralight, you would need only that class of license to fly it, and it would be a wonderful toy. But for it to be any kind of serious, reliable transportation, you will have to be an experienced, IFR rated pilot who knows his/her limitations and the limitations of the airspace system. This is not something to be considered by those with more money than brains.
By SCIFIPRIME at 11:26 AM ON 07/04/09
you guys are kidding i know,can you imagine the headlines,drunken flying cycle rides into the side of an office building news at eleven!
the insurance alone would cost many times more than the cycle. until we get g.p.s. automatic pilots in these vehicles it's not going to happen,because the risk of damage and liability would be too high.
By GermanCrazyGoat at 3:45 PM ON 07/22/09
This is kinda kool, but what would happen if the pilot was drunk, also wouldnt there be a sky limmit and stricter rules for this thingy in the sky?
By CyNical at 9:25 AM ON 10/22/09
After the government collapses it won't matter whether the they "allow" stuff like this to happen. People will just do what they want and the government be damned. Every day the money printing presses smoke on brings us closer. Maybe the Chinese will allow party members to have flying privileges after they take us over, but I doubt it.
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