Samson Motors set up business at the Prineville/Crook County Airport. The company’s prototype is called the Switchblade, an experimental aircraft that is designed to drive from an owner’s garage to a local airport.
Samson Motors set up business at the Prineville/Crook County Airport. The company’s prototype is called the Switchblade, an experimental aircraft that is designed to drive from an owner’s garage to a local airport.
“I think it’s great for everybody,” commented Prineville/Crook County Airport Manager Kelly Coffelt. “It’s great for them, and it’s great for the airport. They have been involved in the things that I have going on up here — so they are very supportive of the airport and what we’re doing here. As time goes, I think it’s going to be great for not only the airport, but the community, also.”
The prototype, called the Switchblade, has extendable wings and tail, and the wings fold in and are protected by clamshell doors. It has dual ground/air lighting systems, and runs on regular unleaded gasoline. Bousfield explained that because it is also an automobile, it must use unleaded fuel. The same fuel is used for the aircraft. The Switchblade will fly up to 200 mph and 10,000 feet in altitude. The wingspan is 24 feet. The top speed on ground is more than 100-miles-per-hour, and the gas mileage when driving is 45 mpg.
Read more at The Central Oregonian.
{biztweet}prineville{/biztweet}
