EAA Sport Aviation - April 2010

…the A5 was designed to compete in the world of powersports,
the apex product in the realm of ATVs, motorcycles, watercraft,
snowmobiles, and the like.

proportioned to fly well. They move
some things around in a direction they
convey to us. We say, ‘Good direction,
but you can’t do this…,’ and it goes back
and forth. It sounds inefficient, but in
fairly short order both parties, the aero-
dynamic people and the industrial
design people, get a feel for what each
party needs and wants. It’s a very enjoy-
able process. Each group is exposed to a
different aspect of engineering. Certainly
in my background, I haven’t been
involved with industrial design at all.”
Also working in ICON’s favor: With
an LSA cruise speed limit of 120 knots,
the company had a few knots of speed
it could trade in for styling.

The industrial design team is provided with electronic files generated with a CAD package, but most of their work is done with hand sketches, Photoshop, and other imaging software before the end result is modeled in clay. The completed life-size model is then digitized and translated back into a CAD program, for precise re-creation.

“It’s very automotive,” Jon says of the industrial designers’ process. “Very little of their work is actually done precisely on CAD. A lot is done by hand and by eye, because you judge a product by eye.”

THE A5 TODAY

Phase one of the A5’s flight-test program, documenting its performance, is complete. Phase two, the aerodynamic refinement stage, is devoted to tweaking the exterior to improve handling, performance, engine cooling, and other operational parameters.

“We design changes to the airplane;
we go out with technicians, make modifi-
cations to the airplane, fly it, then review
flight-test data, and make the next move,”
Jon says. “It’s an engineer’s dream.”
Despite the aircraft’s cutting-edge
appearance, ICON is committed to avoid-
ing innovation in the A5. The materials,
the systems, and the Rotax engine are all
proven technologies. The one exception
is the automatic wing-folding capability,
previously seen only in military aircraft. A
combination electric-hydraulic system
(likely to change before production), the
mechanism weighs about 50 pounds, and
given LSA weight limits, ICON tells cus-
tomers they can’t have both retractable
landing gear and the automatic wing-
folding system.

James Wynbrandt, EAA568059, is a multiengine, instrument-rated pilot who lives in New York City.

Aircraft Make & Model: ICON A5—Amphibious Certification: Light-sport aircraft

Maximum takeoff weight: 1,430 pounds
Useful load: 430 to 530 pounds
(option dependent)
Baggage: 60 pounds (maximum)
Fuel (autogas or avgas): 20 gallons
Maximum speed (VH): 105 knots ( 120 mph)
Range: 300 nautical miles
Takeoff and landing distance: 750 feet
Engine: Rotax 912 ULS, 100 hp
Seats: 2
Note: Performance specifications are estimates only.

Dimensions
Interior cockpit width: 46 inches
Wingspan: 34 feet
Aircraft length: 22 feet
Aircraft height: 7. 1 feet
Trailered width: 8. 5 feet
Trailered length: 28 feet
Trailered height: 8. 3 feet