Samad Aerospace unveils luxury PAV

British hybrid electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aviation company Samad Aerospace has launched its concept for Q-Starling, a high-end personal air vehicle (PAV), as luxurious as a private jet at less than half the operating cost.

The interior mimics high-end automotive comfort levels and will include transparencies and synthetic vision to enhance situational awareness.

The Q-Starling will seat two passengers and can be flown by licensed private pilots using a simplified side-stick control. The all-composite aircraft uses ultra-light carbon fiber for higher performance capability and increased strength.

A hybrid-electric turbo-generator will provide power for a large diameter hover and forward thrust fan in the fuselage and a fly-by-wire operated reaction control system (RCS) in the wings. Extensive, built-in safety systems include a ballistic parachute recovery system. http://www.samadaerospace.com

The Switchblade flying sports car hit 88mph in runway test runs, its calculated take-off speed. Developer Samson Sky notes that’s the same speed the DeLorean had to reach before it could travel through time in the Robert Zemeckis movie “Back to the Future.” Switchblade developers call it a personal time machine because it could reduce a 10-hour, 500-mile drive to a 3.5-hour drive/fly trip.

The $150,000 flying sports car has reservations from 38 countries and all 50 states in America. Classified as a motorcycle by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Switchblade is powered by a turbo-charged, lightweight 200hp liquid-cooled 4-cylinder engine capable of 0-to-60mph in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. In the air, it’s designed to cruise at 160mph with a top speed of 190mph. https://www.samsonsky.com