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PRESS RELEASE
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Samson Motorworks' Switchblade update
Sunday, 29 January 2017

The Switchblade really started to take shape this month, as the first carbon fiber body came out of the 'cocoon' as I like to call our temporary jig, or fixture.

This was a huge milestone! The fixture held the carbon fiber body parts together while the Composite Approach crew assembled the various pieces that make up this assembly. Lead builder, Mike, was at the wheel of the fork lift used to take the top portion of the cocoon off the body so that we could get at the body to lift it out.

The next step was removal of the body, which required removing some body putty temporary bonds that held individual parts in place during assembly. This was a quick step, followed by several of the staff lifting the body out of the cocoon and placing it on stands where it was ready for the next steps.

The just-removed body is ready for the trimming and cleaning to be done. It was really exciting to finally see it right-side up (previously it was on its side in the cocoon, as that was the easiest way to build it).

Composite Approach began the cleanup work and trimming, with one of the staff worked inside the front stowage compartment removing excess carbon, and another in the main cabin doing the same.

Once this work was done, the body was ready for inspection.

After we transported the body to Samson Motors hangar in Prineville, Samson lead builder, Ron Burch, built a temporary seat support and bolted up one of the seats from our dashboard mock-up that we had taken to AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin last summer. With that in the cockpit, it was easy to establish how roomy the vehicle was compared to other aircraft.

Switchblade designer Sam Bousfield is 5'-10" and 180 lb, and had over 5" of headroom at the correct seat location. Martha Bousfield, who is 6'-0" tall, had 4" of headroom in the correct seat location for a taller person.

The visibility from the cockpit proved to be excellent! Really wide zone of vision, and the A pillar (body piece between the front windshield and the door) interfered less than expected with the visibility to the front corners. Getting in and out of the actual body was easier than with the wood engineering mock-up we had been using to determine ergonomics, and all of the decisions we had made seemed to be validated in the final body shape.

One thing that amazes me is that the brakes on traditional aircraft are so tiny and ineffective. The Wilwood racing brakes used by Samson Motors for the Switchblade are HUGE. This will be an incredible safety feature, as during simulator flights in X-Plane, we found that the easiest way to land the Switchblade is to come in well over stall speed (the speed at which the wings stop producing lift), and fly right onto the runway, then hit the brakes. No longer should you have to try to land right at the edge of safe flight, which has been a large safety issue for many decades.

We can't wait to test out the braking capabilities of the vehicle, but first need to establish that they are strong enough to withstand the punishment that a hard landing can produce. Once in a while, pilots can 'drop' the aircraft on the runway instead of landing gently. If you have flown commercially, you have probably experienced that at least once, even with professional pilots. In their defense, there can be gusts and cross-winds that make some landings challenging. Landing gear have to be durable and strong, so we are doing what certified aircraft do, and testing the landing gear per certified standards.

Contact details from our directory:
Samson Sky Airframer
Related aircraft programs:
Samson Switchblade