Easy Flier; March 2010; Scientific American Magazine; by Jim Nash; 2 Page(s)

It is safe to bet that a flying motorcycle will never be a practical transportation option. Yet that has not stopped Samson Motorworks, a small engineering firm in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, from playing the long odds. The company is building a prototype called the Switchblade Multi Mode Vehicle, and it hopes to sell a do-it-yourself kit as early as 2011.

Sexy design and the promise of air-ground transport have kept alive dreams of a flying vehicle in every garage. Samson chose a three-wheel design because it meets the definition of a motorcycle, which is not as highly regulated as cars are. For example, motorcycles need not have bumpers, which would add weight and expense to a flying vehicle.