The Switchblade Flying Motorcycle

The stuff of young boy’s scientific dreams – the flying car! I remember back in the 80’s as a young lanky teen and going to watch (the now classic) Blade Runner – and seeing the flying cars in that movie and dreamt it would be sooner than later. Of course, it has not come yet – the flying car has more than a few times hit the concept drawing board stage – but never a reality and unfeasible.

There are a few though who would disagree with the above statement and offer an alternative. Welcome to the flying motorbike. Yes, it is here. Scientific American reported that a build-it-yourself flying motorcycle is being created by a company in California’s Sierra Nevada. The company Samson Motorworks has named their prototype the Switchblade Multi Mode Vehicle and claims that a do-it-yourself-kit will be ready for 2011.

Rather than a car that has a lot more legal restrictions that a bike Samson chose instead to make a three wheeler motorcycle which there are less restrictions that would impede it’s progress such as external safety areas such as bumpers that would add weight to the vehicle.

This something I am excited about and it would be high on my shopping list except the price puts it well out of bounds. The company envision that pricing would start at $60,000 for the body and then another $25,000 for the engine. No doubt this will become a favourite toy of Hollywood actors and rich kids.

Fear not like every good thing that reaches the market – it will send mechanics and no doubt other car companies to their drawing boards and producing similar vehicles at maybe affordable pricing.  We are long way off from seeing the sky traffic cluttering the immediate air around us, not just because of the pricing, but I imagine regulations would be extremely tough – like flying near buildings, pollution and special licensing.

For further details and images of the Switchblade Multi Mode Vehicle, you can visit Samson Motorworks webpage about the Switchblade.