The Switchblade is named after the knife-like way its wings swing out from beneath its two-seat cabin when it's time to fly. The tail, too, swings out from where it's stowed behind the large pusher prop, then unfolds into a generous T shape. Samson says the entire push-button conversion from street-legal trike to aircraft takes less than three minutes, and while it's yet to demonstrate the entire process on a physical prototype, it looks like it'll be a pretty spectacular process.

It runs on a 3-cylinder, 1.6-liter liquid-cooled engine that takes 91-octane pump gas and makes 190 horsepower. This is effectively used as a generator, powering electric wheels in drive mode and an electric prop motor when it's time to fly. As a three-wheeler, it can be registered as a motorcycle in many areas, and Samson says it's capable of speeds over 125 mph (201 km/h).