The post Conflicting Laws Keep Flying Cars Grounded, Says Samson Sky CEO appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

While navigating regulatory hurdles is nothing new for the cryptocurrency industry, it is an especially stiff challenge in the much older and vital air and ground transportation space. And while people have demanded flying cars for decades, even companies building them today are stymied. Flying cars are edging toward the mainstream in the U.S., however, with the passage of new state-level regulations allowing private ownership of these versatile crafts, including the so-called ‘Jetsons Law’ in Minnesota. And one of the companies pressing forward to build flying cars is Redmond, Ore.-based Samson Sky. Samson Sky founder and CEO Sam Bousfield says many flying car companies fail due to conflicting federal laws from two agencies: the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT). “You’ve got the FAA for all the aircraft rules, and they’ve got a lot, and then you’ve got the DOT for all the ground stuff,” Bousfield told Decrypt in an interview. “Both sets of [regulations] fight each other at times, but you have to meet both of them to operate as a ground and air vehicle.” To overcome this, the team classified their vehicle as an experimental aircraft, which has fewer FAA rules, and as a motorcycle because it has three wheels, which simplifies DOT compliance. The company noted that they built in extra safety features. “Even though we weren’t required, we went the extra mile to provide crash protection in the front and rear crumple zones, and also side intrusion protection and rollover protection, which is required by the FAA,” Bousfield said. Launched in 2008, Samson Sky is the developer of the Switchblade Flying Sports Car. The Switchblade is a compact convertible car and airplane that the company says has a maximum airspeed of 200 mph, a cruising speed of 160 mph, and a maximum…

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Filed under: News - @ August 15, 2024 7:16 am