For fans of California-based Icon Aircraft, the anticipation of a new kind of light-sport airplane for a new kind of pilot is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged reality.
Icon has completed the first customer A5 light-sport amphibian, which it plans to fly later this month and deliver in June after final FAA approval of the design.
It’s been a long time coming. Icon was founded a decade ago to take advantage of the then-new LSA category. From the start, the company did everything differently from traditional airplane builders, from the sleek design of the Rotax-powered two seater, to the choice of an automotive-inspired interior, to marketing the A5 to adrenaline-junky non-pilots.
The result has been an airplane more buzzworthy than any GA product of the last 30 years, as Icon has gained over a million followers on Facebook to go along with thousands of orders.
The company is now putting the finishing touches on its new factory in northern California as its prepares for full-rate production of the A5, which sells for $189,000 (2013 dollars).
The only question remaining is will the sexy amphib live up to the outsized hype with flying characteristics to match its good looks?
A5 buyers will have the answer soon enough.
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