NOW ONE MAN WANTS TO BRING THAT
SCI-FI IDEA TO LIFE.
JEFF:
CARS PEOPLE -- PEOPLE HAVE DONE
IT BEFORE.
TAKING PLACE IN CENTRAL OREGON.
JENNIFER: COLE MILLER REPORTS
FROM P
INEVILLE.
IT IS REALLY WILD.
I DID NOT THINK I WOULD ONE DAY
BECOME AN AIRCRAFT DESIGNER.
ONCE AN ARCHITECT, NOW
DRAFTING SOMETHING A LITTLE
DIFFERENT.
AT THE TIME I DID NOT KNOW IF
I COULD PULL IT OFF.
THIS IS NOT PLANE, AT LEAST
NOT YET.
IT IS A PROCESS SOME NINE YEARS
IN THE MAKING THAT WE NOW GET A
FRONT ROW SEAT TO.
GIVE US A RUNDOWN OF WHAT WE ARE
LOOKING AT.
THIS IS OUR PRE PRODUCTION
PROTOTYPE.
UNDERNEATH THAT COAT OF
PRIMER, HIGH TECH CARBON FIBER,
AND A NEARLY COMPLETE, 70% OR
SO, SWITCHBLADE.
IT TURNED OUT MY IDEAS WERE
VALID.
COLE: AFTER ALL THE MARKET
RESEARCH, INITIAL DESIGN, AND
NAYSAYERS --
BOUSFIELD SET OUT,
DETERMINED TO BUILD.
THIS IS WHAT WE STARTED WITH
FOUR INTERIORS.
COLE: A FLYING CAR, YES, A
FLYING CAR.
HE'S TEAMING UP WITH CENTRAL
OREGON MACHINE SHOPS AND CHIEF
BUILDER RON BURCH, PUTTING THE
WHOLE THING TOGETHER IN THIS
PRINEVILLE HANGAR.
THIS IS JUST A FANTASY, RIGHT?
I THINK I T CAN BE DONE.
COLE: THESE RENDERINGS SHOWN THE
FINAL PRODUCT.
ACTING AS BOTH A CAR ON THE R
OAD.
AND OF COURSE A PLANE FLYING AT
200 MILES PER HOUR, UP TO 13,000
FEET HIGH.
IF WE KEEP PUSHING, WE COULD
FIND OURSELVES IN A PRETTY BIG
NICHE MARKET.
COLE: NICHE INDEED.
BOUSFIELD KNOWS THIS ISN'T FOR
EVERYONE, FROM HAVING TO LEARN
HOW TO FLY, AND GET YOUR PRIVATE
PILOT'S LICENSE, WHICH CAN COST
UP TO $15,000.
THERE'S ALSO THE PRICE TAG OF
THIS -- IF YOU WANT ONE, YOU'LL
HAVE TO FORK OVER ROUGHLY
$140,000.
OF COURSE, THERE ARE OTHER
SPEEDBUMPS, LIKE NAVIGATING BOTH
STATE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION LAWS, AND FAA
LOST.
-- FAA LAWS.
THE BIGGEST HURDLE IS GETTING
PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN YOUR
BRAINCHILD.
THERE'S NO DOUBT THIS IS A BOLD
IDEA, AND WHILE SOME PEOPLE HAVE
WRITTEN BOUSFIELD OFF, PLENTY OF
OTHERS ARE BUYING IN.
IN FACT, THERE ARE ALREADY 63
PRE-FLIGHT OWNERS WHO ARE
SOMEDAY CONFIDENT THEY WILL BE
DRIVING AND FLYING A SWITCHBLADE
OF THEIR OWN.
IT SEEMED FEASIBLE.
COLE: SHAWN GRIFFIN FIRST HEARD
THE SWITCHBLADE CHITCHAT FOUR
YEARS AGO.
A FREQUENT FLYER OUT OF ATLANTA,
HE FINDS HIMSELF IN THE AIR
USUALLY TWICE A WEEK FOR WORK.
IT IS A TREMENDOUS DEAL.
FOR ME, IT WILL MAKE FLYING A
LOT MORE FUN.
IT WILL MAKE IT A LOT EASIER.
COLE: UPON LANDING ANY SMALL
AIRPORT, WHICH I AM TOLD WILL BE
EASIER, IT TAKES JUST MINUTES TO
FOLD THOSE WINGS AWAY, AND DRIVE
TO YOUR DESTINATION.
FOR NOW, THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
BOUSFIELD IS EYEING APRIL TO GET
THIS THING DONE.
HE SAYS IT'S ALREADY GETTING
ATTENTION FROM AROUND THE GLOBE,
AND IN FIVE YEARS, HOPES TO SEE
ANYWHERE FROM 500 TO 600
SWITCHBLADES OUT AND ABOUT,
REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY WE GET
AROUND.
IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN USE
EVERY DAY, FLYING BECOMES NOT
JUST A HOBBY, NOT SOMETHING YOU
MIGHT JUST DO FOR PLEASURE AND
FUN, BUT IT SAVES YOU TIME AND
MONEY.
COLE: AND THAT, BOUSFIELD SAYS,
IS THE FREEDOM HE SET OUT BUILD.
COLE MILLER, KOIN 6 NEWS.
JENNIFER: YOU'VE GOT TO ADMIRE
HIS CREATIVITY.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF WORK STILL
TO BE DONE, AND THAT INCLUDES
FINDING AN INSURANCE COMPANY TO
COVER THESE FLYING CARS.
BOUSEFIELD IS CONTINUING TO PUSH
FORWARD WITH HIS IDEA.
JEFF: HE NOT ONLY HAS TO DEAL
WITH REGULATIONS ON THE ROAD,
BUT FAA REGULATIONS.
JENNIFER: FLYING CARS GO BACK SO
FAR.
JEFF: I HAVE SEEN FLYING CARS IN
AEROSPACECOLE MUSEUMS DATING BACK TO
THE 1940'S.
THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF
MAN.