With Icon Aircraft ramping up deliveries of its amphibious A5 LSA, the Vacaville, California-based company it putting a focus on educating its owners and company pilots about low level flying. The Icon Low-Altitude Guidelines was developed because this type of flying is “the essence of sport flying and the very reason the A5 was created in the first place,” said Icon’s founder, chairman and CEO Kirk Hawkins in a note to A5 deposit holders and owners.
Icon Publishes Low-Altitude Guidelines
Key Takeaways:
- Icon Aircraft has implemented mandatory "Low-Altitude Guidelines" and training for its A5 owners and pilots, recognizing that low-level flight is fundamental to the aircraft's design but carries inherent risks.
- The guidelines define low altitude (below 300 feet AGL) as a "soft deck" and emphasize a critical "switch modes" approach, requiring pilots to slow down, maneuver gently, and intensely scan for terrain and obstacles.
- Icon recommends pre-flight briefings, scanning the area from higher altitudes before descending, limiting aggressive maneuvers below the soft deck, and extensive instructor practice for specific high-risk procedures.
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