As the 2011 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, hit the halfway mark, Icon Aircraft had received deposits for 65 Icon A5 airplanes during the show. Crowds filed into Icon’s dimly lit booth to watch the A5’s wings fold and unfold, and to place their $2,000 show special deposits. For each deposit accepted at the show, Icon is donating $200 to the Young Eagles program.
In addition to the foldable wings, the single-engine LSA amphibian has a unique cockpit that closely resembles the interior and panel of a car. Icon announced at AirVenture that the first 100 A5s will have a custom paint and interior. With a non-refundable deposit of $100,000, all 100 of the special edition A5s have sold out.
“One of the Icon 100’s special features is its unique exterior paint scheme, which is the first of a series that we are designing for the A5,” said Klaus Tritschler, Icon’s VP of Design. “We drew our inspiration for the design of the Icon 100 A5 from a variety of other vehicles, including some of my favorite motorcycles.”
Engineers are currently developing what Icon refers to as a “spin-resistant wing” which they plan to flight test later this summer. The production start date is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012. The engineering facility is located in Tehachapi, California. Icon is in the process of choosing a location to build a 120,000 square-foot facility for its new headquarters.
The standard equipped Icon A5 is priced at $139,000. Icon has received more than 600 deposits for the LSA amphibian.
