Focus Magazine of SWFL Swimsuit Heat Wave | Page 69

Images Courtesy ICON Aircraft

It’s like taking your jet ski out for the weekend, the big difference
is you and your passenger can really get away for the week. The
A5 has a top speed of 120 mph and a range of 300 nm and I did
say, “jet ski”. Something we are very familiar with, similar to your
SUV or car; controls are very easy to read and the transition is easy.
Best of all it is priced around $140k, so any barnstormer can afford
an A5.
Kirk Hawkins and his team at ICON developed the A5 to be easy to
use. Kirk Hawkins brings his knowledge as an accomplished engineer and former U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot. Kirk’s goal was to
make flying small planes a luxury sport for the 21st century. ICON
has won some of the world's most prestigious design awards since
it development started.
With new federal regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, there is now a new form of pilot license which requires less
training to obtain and fall into the Sport Pilot category. The Sport
Pilot License focuses on the fundamentals of flying and requires a
minimum of 20 hours of in-flight training, undercutting the time
and cost of a traditional Private Pilot License by about 50%. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has described the new rules
as "the biggest change in aviation in 50 years."
The A5 will allow you to go airport to airport, fly out of grass fields
or farms, or to remote lakes; as it only needs 750 ft for both landing and takeoff. An affordable and stylist aircraft giving you the
freedom to explore new and existing locations, by land, sea or air.

www.iconaircraft.com

FOCUS of SWFL 2014 69