Switchblade, the flying car concept developed over the last 14 years, flew for the first time Thursday according to a YouTube video posted by the company. The aircraft, which is powered by a hybrid electric drive system that supplies power to the pusher prop in the air and the wheels on the road, did at least one loop around Grant County Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, and went as high as 500 feet in its six-minute maiden flight, according to the company’s news release accompanying the video. “The Switchblade handled great,” stated test pilot, Robert Moehle. “I’m excited to be the first to fly it away from the ground.”
“The test program is a lengthy process with many small steps that we hope people will understand are intended to keep our test staff safe now, and our customers safe in the future,” Bousfield said. “Our next step is to learn what we can from this prototype, and then build three production prototypes using production tooling and fixtures and try to break them while we set up the initial assembly plant.”
An earlier story incorrectly stated that the company didn’t discuss the flight characteristics of the plane but they did include a brief description in a press release which has now been added to the story.
