Powered by a 190-horsepower engine, the wheeled, winged two-seat vehicle took off, flew 500 feet high for six minutes, and then touched down safely at the Grant County International Airport, in Moses Lake, Washington.

Developers say that the street-legal vehicle can change from a car to a plane in a maximum of three minutes, by unfolding the wing and tail from the rear of the "car" and then deploying them for takeoff, using the built-in propeller while in flight, at speeds of up to 190 mph and at heights of up to 13,000 feet. As a car, Switchblade can reach a top speed of 125 mph and can be driven 700 miles before its bespoke hybrid electric propulsion system needs more "juice": It runs on unleaded gasoline. As a plane, its range is 450 miles; in addition, the minimum length of the necessary paved runway is 1,500 feet.

The car is large enough to accommodate two passengers comfortably and also has space for a pair of suitcases. Its width of 6 feet allows for parking in a garage right next to nonflying cars. Operators will need both a car driver's license and an airplantepilot's license.

Company representatives quote a purchase price of $170,000, for the base model in either left-hand or right-hand drive, and say that they have already taken more than 2,300 reservations from potential customers, in 57 countries. All of those who have already signed up already know that they will be doing the bulk of the construction themselves, since Switchblade is in the Experimental Category of aircraft and so isn't the equivalent of an air taxi (like the latest offering from China, certified a few months ago), which would be more expensive as a final purchase price but would be fully built. Still, Oregon-based Samson Sky says it is happy to help its customers with training and instructions and that all of that will be possible on a grand scale within two years.