ICON Completes High-Performance Water Testing
- Click here to see the Hydro Test Gallery
May 26, 2009 - ICON officially completed a series of rigorous hydrostatic and hydrodynamic tests on the ICON A5 Amphibious Sport Plane. These tests verified the basic hull performance for typical seaplane operations, as well as expanding the envelope into higher winds, rougher sea states, and advanced maneuvering.
"The A5 is a pure sport seaplane, engineered to handle aggressive maneuvering on the water while at the same time making the pilot's experience both very safe and extremely exciting," said Kirk Hawkins, CEO and Founder. "To ensure that the performance of the hull exceeded our expectations, ICON's engineering team worked side by side with some of the world's top marine architects to create what we feel is one of the most sophisticated seaplane hulls ever designed."
The hull's forebody design achieves effortless "on-step" acceleration with little to no deck-angle change throughout transition from displacement to plowing to planing modes. Tests have shown that there is minimal porpoising tendency and the A5 will smoothly and quickly accelerate onto the step to takeoff speed in a stick-free condition, requiring little to no pilot input until rotation speed. In addition, the forebody's higher deadrise allows this smaller amphibian plane to handle relatively rough water on takeoff and landing.
The unique Seawings™ on each side of the fuselage provide outstanding stability both hydrostatically and hydrodynamically as well as convenient platforms for users to move in and around the aircraft while on land or in the water. The Seawings™ also function like the swim platform on the back of a ski boat facilitating easy docking as well as easy access in and out of the water. During planing step-turns, the Seawings™ allow the aircraft to bank significantly more than with the outrigger-type sponson floats seen on typical hull-type seaplanes. The Seawings™ permit the A5 to make tighter coordinated turns on the water while stabilizing the aircraft to keep the wingtips from touching throughout the normal maneuvering envelope.
The A5 also has specially designed planing wingtips that provide additional hydrostatic stability in extreme crosswind conditions while also acting as effective hydrodynamic planing surfaces should a wingtip contact the water in extreme or inadvertent conditions. During one of these advanced test profiles, the safety and effectiveness of ICON's planing wingtips were demonstrated when the A5 was actually flown with the wingtip still skimming the surface of the water.
As testing for the A5 continues, there are a number of areas still being meticulously refined and optimized including gear installation, aerodynamic enhancement, hull drag reduction, water-rudder improvements, and spray-pattern optimization.
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ICON CEO's First Flight Impressions of the A5
- Click here to see the gallery for Kirk's flight
ICON's Founder and CEO, Kirk Hawkins, recently had the opportunity to fly the prototype A5 for the first time. Kirk has been heavily involved in the product development process, leveraging his diverse flying experience. He described his experience in a letter to ICON customers posted below:
About 3 weeks ago, on March 11th, I had the opportunity to fly the prototype A5 for the first time as part of our user-trials. Prior to that, only Jon Karkow, our Lead Aero Engineer and Chief Test Pilot had flown it. I must say, I walked into that test flight completely focused on evaluating the aircraft as a potential user/customer. Given that I have a relatively experienced background in flying everything from ultralights to fighter jets and have hundreds of hours in seaplanes -- including ones similar in configuration, size and weight to the A5 -- I was expecting no surprises. Combine this with the fact that I've watched much of the testing, flown chase on the A5, and been privy to the test reports, I quite frankly expected my reaction to be: "Yep, it flies just like I expected. Good job."
However, I must say that this is NOT what happened. I think my first comment after the 30-minute flight when our ground crew opened the canopy was: "Wow! This thing rocks! I may have just had as much fun flying as I've ever had." The part that was most surprising was that I was, in fact, surprised at all. While it will be some time yet before we reduce all the flight test data and release an official report on the A5, here are a few things that clearly differentiate this aircraft:
1. On the water: The water handling was absolutely superb. In fact, on my first takeoff I actually did not touch the stick until rotation. The A5 smoothly climbed up onto the step and accelerated effortlessly and quickly to takeoff speed. This is NOT typical for many seaplanes. They often require pilot finesse as the hull transitions from displacement to plowing to planing modes. The A5's hull may be one of the most advanced small seaplane hulls ever built. There will be a complete hydrodynamic report later this year.
2. In the air: The responsiveness and control forces while flying were uncharacteristically smooth and easy. The aircraft responded just like you'd expect a "sport" plane to respond: light, predictable, fun.
3. From the cockpit: A lot of attention went into the cockpit design of the A5 to maximize the flying experience. This included intentionally making the dash smaller and the windows larger. However, I was not prepared for the view I had from the A5 cockpit. I felt like I was front row in an IMAX theater -- a very different experience than trying to see over the dash or around the nose of most conventional aircraft. The A5 actually reminded me somewhat of the visibility we had in the F-16: Breathtaking.
Bottom line: I think you're going to love the A5. So far, it's proving itself to be a very special aircraft.
- Kirk
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ICON Featured Live on Fox News
- Click here to watch all three segments
February 4, 2009 - ICON Aircraft was featured live on Fox News in several segments that aired throughout the day.
Adam Housley of Fox News reported live from ICON's Lake Isabella test site on Wednesday with footage of the A5 in flight. The first segment aired on America's Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly, followed later in the day by a segment on Happening Now with Jon Scott and Jane Skinner, and then again by a segment on Fox Reports with Shepard Smith.
The broadcasts, which included live interviews from CEO & Founder Kirk Hawkins, covered a wide range of topics from ICON's mission to put the sport back in flying to the FAA's creation of the Light Sport Aircraft category.
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ICON Completes Phase One Flight Testing
- Click here to watch the A5 Flight Video
- Click here to see the latest flight test gallery
January 26, 2009 - ICON Aircraft announced today the completion of Phase I flight testing of the ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft.
"Phase I testing was completed over the course of 27 flights covering the full performance envelope of the prototype," said Matthew Gionta, ICON's Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Engineering. "This test phase included assessing a wide range of speed, weight, center of gravity, altitude, and sea state. There are areas still to be optimized, as always, but overall the A5 has performed as designed."
The prototype was flown from minimum weight to gross weight in various sea states from glassy water to 9 inch waves. It was tested across all flap settings and up to density altitude of 5000 feet. All flights originated and terminated on water to verify the hydrodynamic performance and handling qualities. Test pilot Jon Karkow commented that the A5 "cuts through waves very well and is not prone to 'porpoising' like so many seaplanes are." With the hull shape verified, the landing gear will now be integrated into the prototype during Phase II of the testing.
Some of the ASTM standard design points have already been verified in flight such as the minimum stall speed requirement of 45 knots. Early measurements have verified that the prototype significantly exceeds the low-speed handling performance requirements.
The ICON A5 has removable side windows to immerse both pilot and passenger in the experience of flying a sport aircraft. This configuration has been tested and no adverse handling was experienced. In fact, test pilot Karkow noted no additional cabin noise and only a slight breeze in the cockpit.
The A5 prototype is powered by a Rotax 912 ULS engine. "It seems rather bulletproof," said Gionta. "We've been running it exclusively on 91 octane automotive fuel and it's been a great performer. Average fuel consumption has been about 5 gallons per hour."
"The second phase of flight test will begin immediately," said Gionta. "The purpose of Phase II testing is to refine the aerodynamics and handling qualities until they exceed our goals." During this phase the ICON engineering team will design and test aerodynamic refinements to improve the plane's efficiency. Flight testing of the prototype is scheduled to continue throughout 2009.
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ICON Featured on Discovery Channel
ICON Aircraft was showcased in Discovery Channel's Next World series in an episode called "Future Flight," which takes to the skies of tomorrow on-board shape-shifting planes, top-secret military aircraft, and jets with self-healing wings. Discovery's production crew visited Los Angeles in late June to interview Founder and CEO Kirk Hawkins for their feature on the ICON A5.
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ICON Featured in Wired Magazine
- Click here to read the article
- Click here to watch the video
The January issue of Wired Magazine included in a six-page feature article on ICON titled "The Ultimate Flying Machine." A Wired video accompanied the piece and was showcased on the main page of Yahoo!. Author Carl Hoffman, also a Wired editor, attended ICON's private unveiling in June and the A5's first test flight a month later.
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ICON A5 Prototype Flies
July 15, 2008 - ICON Aircraft achieved an important milestone with a successful maiden test flight of the ICON A5 amphibious sport plane. ICON's team of engineers completed the full-scale prototype flight on Wednesday, July 9 at an undisclosed lake in California.
- First flight photo gallery
ICON Lead Aero Engineer and Test Pilot Jon Karkow conducted the test flight, which demonstrated the performance and flying characteristics during takeoff, landing and low-speed maneuvering flight. In addition, the aircraft's performance during water operations was evaluated. Karkow is an accomplished test pilot who has flown first flights for many notable aircraft including the world record-setting Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer flown by the late Steve Fossett.
"Everything went as well as an initial test flight possibly could go; so I was very pleased," said Karkow, a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. "The aircraft flew exceptionally well and met or exceeded our design expectations. The A5 seems to be a great aircraft right out of the box."
The full-scale prototype aircraft is scheduled to undergo several phases of test flights over the next year before the design is finalized. After flight testing, a pre-production model will be built to verify all the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and ASTM compliance standards before entering production in late 2010.
"I'm proud of what this team has accomplished," said ICON VP of Engineering Matthew Gionta, who served as Mission Director of the flight. "I've been in the business of designing and building aircraft my entire career, and I've never worked with a more talented team. When you get bright people pulling hard toward a common goal, then really incredible things start to happen. The ICON A5 is an example of this. It's really an amazing aircraft."
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ICON Private Unveiling Party
June 12, 2008 - ICON Aircraft officially introduced the company and its breakthrough product, the ICON A5, at a private unveiling last night in Los Angeles. The two-seat sport plane features an amphibious design with retractable landing gear for flying off land and water, plus several patent-pending technologies highlighted by folding wings that allow the plane to be easily stored and towed on the road with a trailer.
- ICON unveiling photo gallery
"ICON Aircraft is bringing the freedom, fun and adventure back into aviation by building aircraft that evoke an emotional response like great sports cars do," founder and CEO Kirk Hawkins told a gathering of hundreds of guests that included aviation hero Buzz Aldrin and motorsports legend Jeremy McGrath. "The sport is now back in flying."
A team of product designers that have worked for leading automotive manufacturers contributed to the ultra-modern industrial design of the ICON A5. A full-scale prototype is scheduled to begin flight tests this summer under the guidance of ICON's engineering team, which is comprised of former top engineers at Scaled Composites, a leading producer of specialty aircraft like the Voyager, GlobalFlyer, and X-PRIZE-winning SpaceShipOne.
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ICON Order Book Opens Up
June 12, 2008 - ICON Aircraft officially opened its order book on June 12 with the launch of its website. Consumers are now able to place reservations for early positions to buy the ICON A5 sport plane with a deposit of $5,000. Go to Buy Your Model to secure your A5 now.
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ICON's Full-Scale Prototype Nearing Completion
June 11, 2008 - The team of four engineers and four fabricators at ICON's engineering facilities in Tehachapi are busy constructing the final pieces of ICON's full-scale prototype aircraft. The prototype is on schedule for initial flight testing this summer by ICON Aero Engineer and Test Pilot, Jon Karkow. Tehachapi is 100 miles north of Los Angeles near the Mojave Desert, an area that is world-renowned as a hotbed for aerospace engineering shared by facilities such as Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Scaled Composites, and Edwards Air Force Base.
- Prototype construction photo gallery
Matthew Gionta, ICON's VP of Engineering who leads the Tehachapi team, has worked on many innovative aviation projects, including X-Prize winner SpaceShipOne, so he knows the next few weeks are critical. "For those of us who have done this for a living for a long time, this is about as good as it gets", Matthew says. "Working on a flying prototype aircraft is about the most rewarding job we could have."
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