Fit and Finish

The Icon Aircraft booth at this years Airventure was easily the most popular stop on the Tour de Light Sport Aircraft. Situated towards the main gate, the foot traffic at their display was impressive. The spread consisted of a scale mock up and the flight demo model on a trailer. They pulled the flight demo out a couple of times to execute the rather ingenious wing folding mechanism that reminded me of the Stemme motorglider... only easier to operate.

My first impression of the plane itself was "this is one classy bird." Most LSA's look like every other airplane you've seen except maybe a little smaller. The A5 is most definitely not like any other LSA, besides being an amphibian and a pusher configuration, the the fit and finish on this airplane is simply amazing. It looks like a $100K plus sports car combined with your favorite fighter aircraft. The panel doesn't leave much room for customization, but after you write that check I'm not sure you'd want to spend any more cash on customization. In fact the panel looks more like a sports car than an airplane, which makes me wonder a little bit about your standard instrument scan.

I had a chance to speak with one of the engineers on the project and he couldn't say enough about how the airplane is exceeding their expectations in almost every way. The area that had concerned them the most was the in water performance. It turns out that designing a hull is part art and part science, however, the team was able to execute a design that can be accelerated up onto the step with almost no input from the pilot. They were also able to avoid that nasty oscillation that can plague some amphibious aircraft while they're in the water.

The finishes on this airplane will separate it from other competitors in the market. You just can't find a classier cockpit in any other LSA offering. I can't wait for this airplane to hit the production line and the local tarmac. I think it will turn heads, which is exactly what GA needs right now. Let us know what your impressions are in the comments!!