I don’t know about you guys but I have always wished to live like the Jetson’s. Flying cars, robots, (wow) the future with its infinite possibilities and promises has always fascinated me. And just when I was giving up hopes of experiencing these futuristic facilities in my lifetime I heard about Samson Motorworks latest project. Samson is actually working on creating a flying 3-wheeled enclosed motorcycle named as a Multi Mode Vehicle (MMV). But here is the best part; they are creating not one but two models of this amazing gravity defying machine. The first one goes by the name Skybike and uses a patent pending telescoping wing design, while the other one goes by the name Switchblade and uses a scissor wing design to retract the wings when you swap the airway for the freeway. The MMV’s will feature a canard layout with the main wing at the back and the tailplane in the front. The small and light vehicles will have an operational ceiling of 10,000-foot above sea level. The
bikes will feature everything from stereo CD players to air conditioning and heating. High on safety, the MMV’s will have a front impact shock absorber and side impact door protection.
As dual-purpose vehicles, the engines used in the MMVs are required to have emission controls and hence all current designs use motorcycle engines and transmissions, modified to provide reverse and power to the propellers. The standard configuration Switchblade is powered by a 120hp Freedom Motor twin rotor engine that propels the vehicle to over 90 mph on wheels and 134 mph while flying. The Skybike on the other hand is in prototype development at Swift Engineering in San Clemente, California, and is designed to reach speeds of 80 mph over land or over 130 mph through the air.
No clue about pricing or availability but Samson Motorworks hopes to have these flying MMV’s out by 2010. I personally hope these things become a reality soon. For more info on the Skybike and Switchblade check out gizmag.com
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