Icon aircraft delivered the first customer Icon A5 Light Sport Amphibian aircraft at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin. Icon Ai...
Icon aircraft delivered the first customer Icon A5 Light Sport Amphibian aircraft at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin.
Icon Aircraft CEO and Founder Kirk Hawkins handed the keys to EAA Young Eagles Chairman and aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker, who accepted the aircraft on behalf of the organization, alongside EAA Chairman Jack Pelton.
The aircraft, Aircraft Serial Number 001 (ASN-001), will participate in Young Eagles flights that allow children to experience aviation, often for the first time, to give them exposure to and inspire their interest in flying.
The ASN-001 was part of the three flight test aircraft and participated in ICON's FAA audit in June and was the first A5 to receive an S-LSA airworthiness certificate. ICON is currently ramping up A5 production at their new facility in Vacaville, California.
The A5 is a high-wing flying boat-type amphibious monoplane with a carbon fiber airframe and retractable undercarriage. Sponsons provide hydrodynamic stability, housing the retracted main landing gear, and act as a step for crew and passenger. The wings can be folded aft for ground transport and storage.
ICON Aircraft is a consumer sport plane manufacturer founded in response to a new classification of easy-to-fly and affordable two-person airplanes called Light Sport Aircraft category created by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2004.
The airplane enable a new classification of Sport Pilots to fly in lower-altitude, uncongested airspace, during the daytime, and in good weather. The Sport Pilot License focuses on the fundamentals of flying and requires a minimum of 20 hours of in-flight training, undercutting the time and cost of a traditional Private Pilot License by about 50 percent.
The aircraft features taxi/landing lights, high visibility canopy, removable side windows and cockpit layout designed to resemble an automobile dashboard.
The two seater with a maximum takeoff weight of 1510 lbs (686.4 kg) can carry a useful load of 430-550 lbs (195-249 kg), and a maximum baggage weight of 60 lbs (27.2 kg).
A5 has a wingspan of 34.8 ft (10.61 m), length of 23 ft (7.01 m) and height of 8.1 ft (2.47 m) and is powered by a 100 hp Rotax 912 engine, driving a three-bladed pusher propeller. The engine can run on 91 Octane auto or 100LL aviation gas.
Maximum speed is 109 mph (176 kph) with a range of 427 nm (45 min reserve).
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| Parachute recovery system |
Takeoff and landing distance on runway is 710 feet and 530 feet respectively, and on water is 920 feet and 840 feet respectively.
Icon A5 successfully completed its first flight on 7 July 2014 in Tehachapi, California.
To meet the 1250 orders, Icon plans to build 500 aircraft per year by 2017
As a sales promotion, Icon has reduced the deposit for an aircraft priced at $189,000 USD, from $5,000 to $2,000 until 26 July.
At the event, the company also debuted a new video, which is available online here: www.iconaircraft.com/theiconexperience.
