The state’s 2024 transportation policy bill, which was signed by Governor Tim Walz in May and includes a measure that would categorize roadable aircraft as motor vehicles, went into effect Thursday, allowing cars that can take to the sky using wings or propellers to drive on the highway.

Minnesota joins New Hampshire as the only states to pass what legislators are dubbing “Jetsons laws.”

The measure defines roadable aircraft as “any aircraft capable of taking off and landing from a suitable airfield which is also designed to be driven on public roadways as a motor vehicle.”

“This is how we get to the future of flying cars, which sounds awesome to me,” said Minnesota State Representative Nolan West, a Republican, in March.

On the other hand, Democratic State Representative Larry Kraft said the vehicles should face further scrutiny before hitting the roads, citing fuel use and urban sprawl.

So far, there are no vehicles that are certified as roadable aircraft in the U.S., though several companies are developing what they describe as flying cars.

Samson Sky, for example, is building the “street-legal” Switchblade, a three-wheel design intended to drive as fast as 125 mph and cruise in the air at 139 knots. A Samson analyst provided input to the Minnesota Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee as the flying car bill was taking shape, and the company is pushing for similar legislation elsewhere.

Other drive-and-fly vehicle manufacturers include Alef Aeronautics and Aska, both of which have obtained FAA special airworthiness certification to begin flight testing, Doroni Aerospace, and Terrafugia.

By and large, the companies’ designs are geared toward personal, recreational flight. Owners could drive out of their garage to an airport, where they could take off and fly to a nearby destination like the beach.

Some firms, like Samson and Alef, have reported preorder sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Similar personal flying vehicles, such as Pivotal’s BlackFly or Lift Aircraft’s Hexa, have drawn attention and funding from the U.S. military.

The new Minnesota law classifies roadable aircraft as motor vehicles, allowing them to be driven on public roadways. They will need to adhere to FAA regulations in the sky and at airports and follow the rules of transportation regulators on the ground.

The vehicles must take off and land only at airfields and restricted landing areas. Gliding into an interstate landing, for example, would be considered a misdemeanor unless it were an emergency situation—an exception that exists for aircraft in most states.

In lieu of license plates, flying cars driving on public roadways will require registration decals clearly visible in the front and rear. The decals, provided by the state’s transportation commissioner via application, will include the make and model of the vehicle and federally issued tail number. Owners must also register the vehicle with the state as an aircraft. Drivers will be prohibited from unfurling wing and tail components on the road.

Although several flying car manufacturers have already opened the preorder process, roadable aircraft are likely still years away from taking to the road or sky.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis, which similarly mesh two vehicle types—winged aircraft and rotorcraft—have yet to get off the ground despite some manufacturers having begun development more than a decade ago.

The long runway to commercial eVTOL service is due not just to the complexity of designing, building, and testing the aircraft. There’s also plenty of regulatory confusion about how to classify the vehicles and set rules around pilot training, maintenance, and operation.

Flying car manufacturers are attempting to combine two even more disparate vehicles and operate under the domain of multiple transportation regulators, which would seemingly add to the complexity of the path they face. They also lack the backing of the largest eVTOL manufacturers, some of which have raised north of $1 billion.

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Now for this week’s top story:

SpaceX’s Starship Could Fly Again This Week

What happened? It’s official: The FAA has cleared SpaceX’s Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster—which stacked together stand 400 feet tall—for a second test flight. In case you forgot, the spacecraft’s maiden voyage began and ended in flames, grounding Starship while the FAA investigated. Now, it has a modified launch license, and SpaceX expects it to fly on Saturday.

Cleared for takeoff: The FAA closed its investigation into Starship’s inaugural flight—which scattered ash and debris as far as 6 miles away from SpaceX’s launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas—in September. And on Wednesday afternoon, the agency wrapped up its license evaluation, greenlighting Starship for one more launch.

With a fresh license, Starship could launch as early as Friday, Musk said on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), though the SpaceX boss hasn’t enjoyed a great track record when it comes to predicting the next flight. SpaceX on Thursday shared images of the rocket and booster stacked on the launch pad, but the launch how now been delayed to Saturday.

High stakes: A lot is riding on the success of Starship’s initial test flights, including several NASA moon missions. Last time, the rocket exploded just four minutes into its predicted 90-minute flight. But the next launch will debut a hot-stage separation system and a thrust vector control system for Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines, which should help.

The other major change SpaceX made was adding a water-cooled steel plate, a type of flame trench, to the launch pad. Flame trenches and water deluge systems are common on launch pads because they shield key infrastructure from the force of a launch, but Musk said SpaceX’s lacked one because it “wasn’t ready in time.”

Quick quote: “The FAA has given license authorization for the second launch of the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicle. The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, and financial responsibility requirements,” the agency said in a statement.

My take: Is Starship moving too fast too soon? SpaceX is known for its “rapid iterative development” approach, which has seen Starlink satellites and Crew Dragon capsules flying for years already. But while Starship is moving much slower than those projects, Musk might be smart to pump the brakes.

A second Starship explosion could be catastrophic, not only for SpaceX (and the surrounding environment) but for NASA. The space agency has enlisted the company to build several variants of the spacecraft for the Artemis moon mission program, and it’s hoping SpaceX can complete an uncrewed demonstration flight to the lunar surface in 2024 or 2025. Already, there are concerns that the deadline won’t be met, forcing delays to NASA’s timeline.

The next test flight could go perfectly. But an explosion—and another FAA investigation—would be devastating to the campaign. The time pressure is obviously a factor. But SpaceX could be better off waiting and getting this right, rather than pushing to launch as soon as possible.

Deep dive: SpaceX’s Starship Cleared for Second Takeoff After Obtaining Modified Launch License from FAA 

In Other News…

Joby’s Electric Air Taxi Takes Flight in New York City

What happened? Not only did Joby fly its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in the Big Apple for the first time—the flight was the city’s first for an eVTOL design. New York City Mayor Eric Adams attended the event at the Downtown Heliport (KJRB) in Manhattan, which also featured a demonstration flight from German eVTOL manufacturer Volocopter.

Visions of the future: While Joby and other eVTOL manufacturers have done most of their flying in sparsely populated rural areas, urban jungles like New York City will be the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry’s cash cow. The idea is to replace ground-based rideshare services, such as Uber or Lyft, with short-hop flights over congested city streets.

New York is expected to be one of Joby’s first launch markets, where it will fly in partnership with Delta Air Lines. The companies are now working with local organizations such as the Port Authority of New York to plan initial operations and build infrastructure at John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) and LaGuardia Airport (KLGA), the city’s two largest airfields.

Deep dive: Joby Performs First eVTOL Test Flights in New York

Skyryse’s Automated Autorotation Tech Lands Guinness World Record

What happened? Helicopter engine failures are relatively rare. But Skyryse wants to remove most chances of a hard landing in the few cases where they happen. The company last week completed the first fully automated autorotation for an emergency landing using a tech-equipped Robinson R66—a feat certified by Guinness World Records.

Keep it simple: Pilots practice autorotation during rotorcraft training often, but that doesn’t make the process any less complex. A manual autorotation involves four steps—each with multiple maneuvers—that require action to be taken in a matter of seconds. If done incorrectly or too late, the aircraft will come down hard and fast.

Skyryse wants to keep it simple. During last week’s flight, all the pilot had to do was press a button—automation handled the rest. Already, the company has received an Airbus A130 helicopter from partner Air Methods that it plans to retrofit with its tech. But the firm says its system can be installed on any kind of aircraft—not just rotorcraft.

Deep Dive: Skyryse’s Automated Autorotation Tech Lands Guinness World Record

And a Few More Headlines:

• We’ve got another world’s first—Elroy Air said it completed the first flight of a turbine-powered, hybrid-electric cargo drone.

• Honeywell said its AAM business has now racked up $10 billion worth of contracts.

• Electric air taxi manufacturer Overair partnered with DFW Airport and Arlington, Texas, to bring AAM services to the region.

• Airbus U.S. Space and Defense added a military drone business line, which it said will develop aircraft for the U.S. DOD.

• Rolls-Royce confirmed all of its current turbine engines can run on 100 percent SAF.

Spotlight on…

Samson Sky

In a week full of first flights, there’s one we still haven’t talked about yet. 

I’ve featured Samson Sky, the maker of the Switchblade flying sports car, in this spot before. But the company is worth another look following Switchblade’s maiden voyage on November 9. A prototype of the street-legal aircraft flew at 500 feet for nearly six minutes, marking the first test flight for the next generation of flying cars.

The use case for Switchblade is fascinating. Samson expects some customers not to fly at all, and no pilot certificate is required to purchase and drive it on the highway. But with a private pilot sign off, owners can drive the vehicle to the airport, unfold its wings and tail with the push of a button, and take off from the runway like an airplane. And importantly, Switchblade’s hybrid-electric engine runs on unleaded automotive gas rather than 100LL, allowing owners to fuel it at an automotive gas station.

Samson is still a long way from commercializing the flying sports car. But Switchblade’s first flight represented a major milestone and proving ground for its technology. If it can keep progressing, perhaps Samson will be the first to answer the increasingly popular catchphrase, “Where’s my flying car?”

Deep Dive: Switchblade Flying Sports Car Prototype Makes Maiden Flight

On the Horizon…

The American drone industry is growing, but U.S. stakeholders and lawmakers would like to see it grow faster. 

This week, members of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) met with drone manufacturers Skydio, Vision Aerial, Brinc Drones, Red Cat, and Easy Aerial to ring in the organization’s Partnership for Drone Competitiveness. Launched in September, the partnership is a coalition meant to bolster the U.S. drone industry and is supported by several other manufacturers, including AeroVironment, Draganfly, and DroneUp.

Also in attendance were U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.), and the event was met with support from Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), who has sponsored several drone-related bills, such as the Increasing Competitiveness for American Drones Act. AUVSI said it also held productive meetings with Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Keep an eye on the legislation those lawmakers introduce.

Speaking of introduced legislation, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) this week introduced the No ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) or Drones for Iran Act, which takes aim at Iran’s production of long-range missiles and drones through sanctions. Representative Elise Stefanik (D-N.Y.) is introducing a companion bill in the House.

The results of sanctions against various international entities have been a mixed bag, but lawmakers are clearly looking for ways to stifle Iranian (and Russian) drone production. Iran is known to supply Russia with aircraft like the Shahed 136 kamikaze drone, and it’s thought to be aiding Hamas militants with drone tech used against Israel.

Moving from the sky to space, the White House on Wednesday laid out possible regulations for private space stations, space junk removal, and authority over novel space activities and infrastructure. Under the proposal, several U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Transportation and the Federal Communications Commission, would have responsibilities in different areas, such as passenger safety or launch and reentry.

The House Science Committee, meanwhile, delayed its vote on the Commercial Space Act of 2023, which would update government oversight of human spaceflight and other commercial activities. It’ll be a crucial piece of legislation for Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and other companies looking to ferry passengers to the edge of the atmosphere.

Mark Your Calendars

Each week, I’ll be running through a list of upcoming industry events. The Dubai Airshow wraps up Friday in the United Arab Emirates, but here are a few conferences to keep an eye on:

• Advanced Air Mobility Summit 2023—November 20-21 in Lisbon, Portugal
• ICAO Drone Enable—December 5-7 in Montreal
• 11th Annual eVTOL Symposium—February 6-8 in Silicon Valley, California
• Drone Show Korea 2024—March 6-8 in Busan, South Korea
• World’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference—March 17-19 in Jerusalem
• AUVSI Xponential 2024—April 22-25 in San Diego 
• Vertical Flight Society’s Forum 80—May 7-9 in Montreal

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Samson Sky, maker of the two-seat Switchblade, which it bills as a “flying sports car,” on Thursday announced that a prototype of the drive-and-fly vehicle completed its maiden flight.

The company shared a video of the street-legal aircraft soaring high above the runway for the first time at Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Lake Moses, Washington, which is no stranger to test flights. Boeing and other major aircraft manufacturers often use it to perform their own testing.

Under cloudy skies and calm winds, Switchblade took off from the runway at Grant County International and ascended to 500 feet, soaring over the airfield and surrounding foothills. It stayed airborne for nearly six minutes before gliding in for a soft landing.

Judging from the celebrations by Sam Bousfield, Samson Sky founder and CEO and the designer of Switchblade, the ground crew, and test pilot Robert Moehle, the first flight appears to have been a resounding success.

“Today is the culmination of many years of hard work and persistence to make the vision of a flying sports car a reality,” said Bousfield. “Someone asked me how it felt to see the Switchblade fly. I thought about it and realized that this is what it feels like when your dreams come true.”

Added Moehle, who for months has provided input on the Switchblade prototype to Samson Sky’s research and development team: “The Switchblade handled great. I’m excited to be the first to fly it away from the ground.”

Moehle received training from Boeing and previously served as test director for its 787. He has flown more than 2,400 hours in 56 aircraft types, including commercial and experimental. These days, Moehle flies a kitplane for work and pleasure—Switchblade will be approved under the same classification, in the experimental category.

The three-wheel flying car has a 575-pound payload and will drive as fast as 125 mph. Its estimated max speed of 165 knots and normal cruise speed of 139 knots put it in the neighborhood of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) passenger air taxi designs such as Archer Aviation’s Midnight, which is expected to cruise at around 130 knots.

With those kinds of land speeds, owners will be able to take Switchblade on the freeway. From there, they can drive to a nearby airport and—with the push of a button—unfold the vehicle’s wings and tail in under three minutes.

Once converted to flight mode, Switchblade needs 1,100 feet of runway to take off. In the air, it can fly up to 500 sm (434 nm) at an altitude of 13,000 feet before refueling, requiring only 700 feet of runway to land.

Samson Sky expects customers to drive and fly the vehicle in equal measure—and for some not to fly it at all. Accordingly, Switchblade’s hybrid-electric engine runs on unleaded automotive gas rather than 100LL avgas, allowing owners to fuel up at an automotive gas station. And with the vehicle’s wings and tail folded back into its body, it’s only 6 feet wide—small enough to park in a garage.

Safety features include a whole vehicle parachute, disc brakes, optional autopilot, and a Formula 1-like safety shell to protect occupants in the event of a collision. The proprietary Skybrid safety system adds regenerative braking and reverse thrust, which combined act like a drag parachute on a wet runway.

Prior to its first flight, Switchblade completed three short “hops,” hovering just 10 to 15 feet off the ground. The most recent hop in September was its longest to date, with Moehle flying nearly a mile down the runway.

What’s Next?

With Switchblade’s first flight in the books, Samson Sky will use what it learns to begin producing more prototypes.

“After 14 years of design and rigorous testing, our first flight is a huge milestone,” said Bousfield. “The Samson team will use flight test data to finalize production engineering and build several production prototypes. This puts us on the path toward producing thousands of Switchblades to meet the large and enthusiastic demand we’re receiving.”

The flying sports car has been racking up reservations, with more than 2,300 across 57 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Thursday’s test sets those reservations in motion—in August, Samson Sky said customers would need to place a $2,000 deposit within 45 days of the first flight announcement. About 100 customers have already skipped the queue and prepurchased Switchblade at its full price: $170,000.

The vehicle is being certified with the FAA as an experimental/amateur-built (E/AB) aircraft—which requires the owner or operator to build at least 51 percent of it—in order to avoid the more rigorous certification path faced by eVTOL air taxis, for example.

However, that means Switchblade will come unassembled. But each purchase includes access to the Samson Builder Assist Program, which can reduce build time to less than a week, Samson Sky claims. Customers will travel to the company’s Builder Assist Center, where technicians will provide training for the owner’s portion of the assembly, preserving the 51 percent rule. Samson staff will then build the rest and can deliver the finished vehicle straight to the owner’s home.

“The Samson Builder Assist Program is included in the price of every Switchblade kit, as the building of this vehicle requires many specialty fixtures and equipment that would make it very difficult for at-home builders,” Bousfield told FLYING. “Samson has developed an automated parts process to allow a kit owner to complete their 51 percent by building parts and minor assembly work, possibly within a one-week time frame.”

On the ground, the vehicle will be certified as a custom motorcycle or kit car, requiring an automobile or motorcycle license to drive it. Owners will need a private pilot certification to take it to the skies. 

But Switchblade can be purchased solely as a car—in fact, Samson Sky said it’s seeing an increasing number of nonpilot customers, who plan to learn to fly when they become owners. It can even be used as a flight training vehicle through the company’s flight school program.

The firm is also developing a Switchblade Special edition, as well as a Limited edition that will be individually crafted and personalized for each customer. Future Samson Sky models may include the winterized Snowbird, the rugged Aurora, and the versatile Trek.

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At the air show, flying car manufacturer Samson Sky garnered record orders of its street legal Switchblade, expected to be able to both drive on highways and take off and fly from airports. The company added 115 Switchblade orders to its books, which, at about $170,000 per vehicle, would represent nearly $22 million in value.

With the added interest at Oshkosh, Samson Sky now has more than 2,400 reservations across 57 countries, including from customers in all 50 U.S. states. Those buyers will put down a $2,000 deposit within 45 days of the announcement of Switchblade’s first flight. But about 100 have already prepurchased the vehicle at full price to skip the queue.

“It was great to be back at AirVenture to take advantage of all the industry experts and suppliers who attend the show,” said Sam Bousfield, founder and CEO of Samson Sky and lead designer of the Switchblade. “We were able to hold several key meetings with future partners and investors that made the show an even bigger success for us.”

Bousfield and Samson Sky revealed the current iteration of the Switchblade, which has been in development for more than a decade, at Oshkosh in 2018, where it picked up over 100 reservations. Now, the design is headed for its first full flight after the company received the FAA nod to begin airborne tests in June 2022.

The firm describes its design as a flying sports car: the two-seat, three-wheel, street legal vehicle parks in the owner’s garage, drives on highways, taxis and takes off on an airport runway, and flies like an airplane.

To get where they need to go fast, customers can drive Switchblade from home to a nearby airport, where it transforms from drive to flight mode with the push of a button. The vehicle’s retractable wings swing out, its tail unfolds, and within three minutes it’s ready to fly.

After taking off from a runway at least 1,100 feet long, the driver-pilot can then cruise to their destination at around 160 mph (139 knots). The vehicle needs about 700 feet of runway to land, after which it transforms back to driving mode, again with the push of a button.

“The feedback we’re getting is, the practicality of the Switchblade checks all the boxes for what people truly want in a flying car,” said Bousfield. “We hope a Switchblade will grace the skies and streets of your city very soon.”

With a proposed 575-pound payload, Switchblade is projected by the company to hit airspeeds of 200 mph (174 knots) and a top road speed of 125 mph. A 200 hp, liquid-cooled, 3-cylinder engine—which runs on premium gasoline and can be fueled at a gas station—supports a 450 sm (391 nm) range during flight. It includes state-of-the-art flight instruments as well as a high-tech dashboard for driving.

The Switchblade’s safety features include a whole-vehicle parachute, disk brakes, an optional autopilot, and a safety shell to protect against collisions akin to a Formula 1 race car. The vehicle also runs on the Skybrid safety system, which enables regenerative braking and reverse thrust that act like a drag parachute on a wet runway. Those features allow for shorter takeoffs and air brake assist on descent, among other capabilities.

The flying car is expected to start at $170,000, but it could also cost hundreds of hours of the owner’s time. That’s because the Switchblade is being certified as an experimental category kit-built aircraft to avoid a more rigorous FAA certification path and is sold unassembled. This requires the owner/operator to have built at least 51 percent of the aircraft—customers would need to spend about 2,000 hours building it entirely on their own.

However, a purchase also includes access to the Samson Builder Assist Program, which can bring the owner’s build time down to a week. Company engineers will provide training and automation for the owner’s portion of the build, preserving the 51 percent rule, then taking over the process from there.

On the ground, the Switchblade will be certified as a custom motorcycle or kit car, requiring an automobile or motorcycle license to operate it. Users will require a private pilot certificate to fly, but nonpilots can still purchase it as a car. In fact, it can be used as a flight training vehicle through the Samson flight school program.

In addition to the Switchblade, Samson Sky is building a special edition vehicle with features designed for specific uses or climates and limited editions that allow buyers to customize features. Later models will include the “winterized” Snowbird, the rugged Aurora, and the multiuse Trek, each with its own unique features.

But first, the Switchblade will need to fly. A preproduction prototype rolled out for taxi testing in April 2022, a few months before it received the FAA green light for flight testing. Shortly after, the aircraft began taking short “hops” from the runway at Moses Lake Municipal Airport (WA40) in Washington. That testing is expected to continue for several months.

Simultaneously, Samson Sky is gearing up for the Switchblade’s first full flight and has made some key design changes in preparation. For example, it switched from a five-blade to a seven-blade propeller and added custom transmission gears to improve thrust and rearranged its vertical fins to add control.

The company expects its Builder Assist assembly line to be up and running within 22 months of that maiden flight. Because of its experimental category classification, Switchblade needs no further certification before production can occur.

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