The patent strengthens Samson Sky’s approach to a roadable aircraft whose enclosed flight hardware is designed for storage, insurance and everyday ground use.
Samson Sky has secured a United States and international design patent covering the tail-fold and retraction mechanism on its Switchblade Flying Car. Issued to chief executive Sam Bousfield on November 19, 2025, the patent protects a system that draws the vehicle’s tail and propellers into its body, keeping the flying surfaces enclosed while it is driven. The development highlights the engineering challenge of making an aircraft compatible with ordinary road use and storage.
The Switchblade is designed as a hybrid-electric vehicle that operates both as a highway-capable car and as a two-seat aircraft. Its wings, tail and propellers remain enclosed in driving mode, while the vehicle is intended to travel from a home or other location to a nearby airport using local roads or highways. Samson Sky says the arrangement allows the vehicle to use existing airport infrastructure rather than requiring a dedicated runway or private hangar.
According to Samson Sky, the transformation from driving to flying mode is activated by a button inside the cockpit and takes three minutes. The vehicle is described as accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in five seconds, reaching a road speed of 125 miles per hour and achieving an estimated 160-mile-per-hour cruise speed in flight. It seats two people side by side with room for travel bags and can fly up to 500 miles on a single tank of premium automotive petrol, according to the company.
The patented tail mechanism is presented as a practical feature as much as an aerodynamic one. Samson Sky says fully protecting the flying surfaces while the vehicle is on the ground may help make it easier to insure, while the ability to fit in a standard garage could reduce the need for separate aircraft storage. Those considerations place the Switchblade closer to a personal transport product shaped around existing driving and ownership habits than to an aircraft designed solely for airport-based use.
Samson Sky says the Switchblade has nearly 2,700 reservations from more than 50 countries, including every US state, representing more than $500 million in potential future revenue. The company also describes plans for certified commercial versions intended for an Express Courier Service and says its estimated price is $200,000. The new patent does not by itself establish production timing, but it adds protection around one of the design’s central features as Samson Sky continues developing the vehicle.
