Samson Sky CEO Sam Bousfield, designer of the Switchblade Flying Sports Car, was a featured panelist at the 19th annual Electric Aircraft Symposium, recently held at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh.
The Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS) is the world’s longest-running electric aviation technology event, the focus of EAS being on technological advancements in the future of air mobility. The two-day event included panelists from the world’s leading electric aircraft developers and technology experts, well known for their technical depth.
Participants engaged in conversations on the safe and sustainable development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Bousfield spoke about the key ways that their flying sports car, the Switchblade is contributing to the future of regional travel (for trips of 250 to 500 miles), adding, “statistics show there are 21 million Regional Travelers in the U.S. alone.”
During his talk, Bousfield covered several points that make their vehicle advantageous for regional travelers who are looking for a better solution other than traditional airline travel, including:
- The Switchblade is a highway-capable vehicle, which is high performance both on the ground and in the air.
- The wings, tail and propellers are fully enclosed in driving mode (making the Switchblade insurable).
- Requires no new technology advancements to go into production, and the first of three production test vehicles is currently being built.
- It is reasonably priced.
The symposium featured over 40 panelists, including from such AAM visionaries as Joby Aviation, Wisk Aero, and Bye Aerospace. The event provided the 150 attendees with valuable in-depth insights into this cutting-edge aviation sector.
Bousfield added, “I was honored to be included amongst the world’s leaders in AAM and to be the only company present with a highway-capable aircraft that both drives and flies. We learned from each other and got a chance to meet face-to-face to find ways to make our products even more relevant and useful. This is an emerging and vibrant industry, and it is very exciting to see so much success across all segments. The collaboration that happened at this symposium will definitely help us all grow even faster.”
The Samson Sky CEO served on a panel of three focusing on Regional Air Mobility, led by moderator Andy Mearns of Multicopter Aerospace Consulting, alongside panelists David Copeland of Bristell Aircraft and Drew McEwen of AURA AERO.
