The ICON A5 is a brilliantly engineered new airplane for those who would love to learn to fly and own their own plane but thought that it was beyond reach. This is an amphibious Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) that can land on water as well as a normal runway. The design features of this marvel of engineering include folding wings so that it can be carried on a trailer and stored in a garage. It also has a high visibility canopy, simple cockpit layout, retractable landing gear (because it is also a seaplane), and can use 91 octane (premium unleaded) auto gasoline!
This plane is designed for safety and includes the only spin-resistant airframe design that fully meets the FAA Part 23 standards. A spin-resistant design means that it won’t go into a spin if the plane stalls, thus allowing you to maintain control of the airplane, which is especially important during final approach to a runway when the plane is at a low altitude (check out the following video).
Another unique feature is an angle of attack indicator which is a much better indicator of a potential stall than airspeed alone. Additionally, the ICON A5 comes with a whole aircraft parachute that will safely bring the plane to the ground in the event of an engine failure.
A sport pilot’s license is all that is required to fly this plane. The major differences between a sport pilot’s license and a recreational or private pilot’s license is that it requires fewer hours of flight training time, you need only a US driver’s license (no medical certification required), you are limited in the airspace that you can fly in, and you are only allowed to fly aircraft that meet the LSA requirements (please visit Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association website for more details).
This plane has just completed its final FAA certification and is now going into production. There is currently a backlog of 1500 orders for this plane. You may place an order for the ICON online with a $5000 deposit (total price is approx. $189,000) with a current delivery of 2019 or later. Please visit the ICON Aircraft website for much more information and videos.
“To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home.” -Anonymous
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If only I had a spare $189k lying around!
I’ve got a jar started!
Will this perhaps be the next Gadgeteer give-away?
If it was, I’d quit the Gadgeteer and tell my whole family (including young nieces and nephews) to submit as many entries as possible to win! 😉
Just kidding Julie!
You had me worried there for a minute 😉
It’s a beautiful, compelling aircraft, but with a backlog of orders until 2019, what’s the point of this promotional piece? I’d love to order one, but waiting four years to fly it is a total deal breaker.
The point of this post was to inform people that there are wonderful engineering advances being made to personal aircrafts and not just commercial or military planes. Many of us don’t even have this kind of money right now to buy the A5 and need at least the four years or more just to save to buy it. My husband has been wanting to get a pilot’s license for years now and after seeing this plane, he has a goal to work toward and the time to work toward it. Besides, they may find ways to get the planes out faster than expected.
I’m actually in the process of getting my sport pilot’s license. Have 50+ hours already. The price is pretty tempting but I still prefer a Cessna since there’s way more convenient places to land. I doubt they will allow me to land the Icon on the Hudson River.
I get the feeling that maybe you think the A5 is just a seaplane, but it does have retractable landing gear. So it is my understanding that you could land the A5 anywhere you can land the Cessna as long as you have the proper pilot’s license (a private pilot’s license opens up access to more airspace). But, maybe I misunderstood your comment…
I’ve been keeping tabs on both the Icon A5 and the Searey. Some day, one of these wonderful aircraft will be mine. Both have really solid design ideas, but honestly, the biggest factor that draws me to them? Airplane camping! How awesome would it be to fly into a lake, land, and camp?
That does sound wonderful!
That’s done it! Kathleen, how about we get a bigger jar and do a plane share! 6 months for you and 6 months for me? 😉
@yeppers – I’m in!! All of our plane problems are gone! 🙂