“I’m convinced ICON is onto something great and has a chance to revolutionize aviation,” said Condit. “I’ve been involved closely with the company over the years and have been blown away by ICON’s ingenuity and unique ability to combine outstanding aircraft engineering with exceptional industrial design. I’ve never seen anything like it in aviation.”

ICON Aircraft recently resumed customer deliveries. ICON delivered six of its A5 light sport amphibious aircraft to customers in June and July. These are the first customer deliveries the company has made since announcing a production delay last spring.

ICON Aircraft, maker of the revolutionary ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft, announced the official opening of its ICON Flight Center (IFC) at Tampa’s Peter O. Knight Airport. IFC Tampa joins ICON’s existing IFC in Northern California and will serve as a convenient East Coast hub where A5 deposit holders and the general public can complete flight training and rent aircraft.

ICON Aircraft announced the construction of a new facility in Tijuana, Mexico, where it will produce composite airframe components for the A5. As part of a revised production plan announced in May, the company decided to produce its own composite components, a manufacturing process that was previously outsourced to several suppliers.

ICON Aircraft announced major changes to this year’s A5 delivery plan. These changes are part of a strategy to improve the A5 production processes and manufacturing supply chain while simultaneously supporting flight training for ICON customers.

ICON Aircraft’s A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft has been nominated for the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) most prestigious award, the Collier Trophy. The A5 is one of nine nominees for the 2015 Collier Trophy and is the only piston-powered aircraft to be nominated. For 104 years, the Collier Trophy has been awarded annually “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” Previous winners of the Collier Trophy include the Boeing 777 and 787, Gulfstream G550 and G650, International Space Station, SpaceShipOne, and the F-22.

This morning at 10 AM CDT at ICON Aircraft’s exhibit at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, CEO and Founder Kirk Hawkins handed the keys of the first customer A5 to EAA Young Eagles Chairman and aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker, who accepted the aircraft on behalf of the organization, alongside EAA Chairman Jack Pelton. The aircraft, Aircraft Serial Number 001 (ASN-001), will participate in Young Eagles flights that allow children to experience aviation, often for the first time, to give them exposure to and inspire their interest in flying.

On 11 June, FAA officials completed a comprehensive compliance audit at ICON Aircraft’s Tehachapi, California, facility. This allowed them to issue the first S-LSA airworthiness certificate for ICON’s A5 Light Sport amphibian. With this major milestone complete, ICON will now begin customer deliveries for its eagerly anticipated aircraft, which has a backlog of more than 1250 orders.