Flying the Icon A5

The Icon A5 is one of the newest and most exciting aircraft to be developed in this country for a long time. The aircraft is small, nimble, sporty and fun. With its amphibious design, low cost operation and sexy styling it has been the focus of aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

I have wanted to fly off of water for a long time. In fact before I became a pilot I saw a similar airplane at an airshow back in the 80s and thought to myself at that time that when I got older instead of an RV like a lot of retired people I was going to buy something like that.

I have been following the development of the aircraft since it was first announced in the early 2000s. I got a call from Gary Knight from Icon Aircraft a few weeks ago and he invited be to come to Lakeway Airpark just outside of Austin Texas and experience this amazing aircraft first hand.
What an amazing stroke of luck that was.

Flying this aircraft truly is a new type of experience for me. It is certificated to meet the light-sport category which means easier access to people who aren't full private pilot rated. The challenges of obtaining the full certification are cut considerably and most importantly the medical requirements are less restrictive. Basically if you qualify to drive a car in the US you meet the needs medically to pilot one of these.

The thing that stands out the most for me is summed up in the company's statement "No Airport Necessary" . In fact one version of this amazing vehicle has folding wings and can be trailered and towed to a boat ramp for launching.

To me the ultimate freedom is to take off on any strip and land on any lake you choose and Texas is covered in lakes. Not to even mention other great states like Florida and dozens of others in the U.S. It is powered by a fuel sipping Rotax engine and burns a fraction of the fuel an airplane like my Bonanza will burn.

Join me in a great adventure with a cockpit view of the process of flying and airplane off of Lake Travis in Austin TX.

www.iconaircraft.com

Видео Flying the Icon A5 канала Dale Johnson