Mid life crisis? Forget the Ferrari, consider this game changer. The ICON A5 is now available to all amateur pilots — and with this Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) in your garage, you can say goodbye to runways, traffic and airline food…
On first impressions, the supercar influence is obvious, with the Icon designers capturing that same modern, sleek profile. When you step inside you’re not overwhelmed by endless buttons, switches and confusing instrumentation in the cockpit. It’s more like the dashboard of a sports car — but with a much more sophisticated GPS navigation system that Google Maps.
Able to fold its wings back for storage and transportation, this two-seater only weighs 686 kg thanks to its carbon composite hull. Powering it up to the skies is a pusher-style propellor mounted to a 100 horsepower Rotax engine, which can be fueled using either aviation or servo petrol. Thanks to smart design elements like wing cuffs and vortex generators, the A5 is completely spin-resistant, meaning it won’t spiral out of control — no matter how hard you try.
In the rare event things go mayday — a parachute can be launched.
The biggest innovation however is the Angle of Attack indicator — a gauge that combines multiple flight indicators into a simplified display. As long as you keep your Angle of Attack in the ‘green zone’, complicated manoeuvres like takeoff and landing are done easily — even on water.
So can anyone have a crack at flying it? Pretty much. You have to log 20 hours of flight time to get certified, and you can’t fly at night, in congested airspace, or in bad weather conditions — but as long as you play by the rules, pay the $189,000 asking price, and aren’t scared of heights, you’re good to go.
By Bill Varetimidis
For the full article grab the February 2021 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
