EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: ICON Aircraft A5 Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) Amphibian

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 featured some new and innovative aircraft designs.  One of those, the ICON Aircraft A5 LSA amphibian, was on exhibit in the form of the A5 Systems Layout Model.   The A5 Systems Layout Model is a 3-dimensional presentation of the major structures and systems within the aircraft, with the computer-aided design graphics printed on the skin of the aircraft mock-up.  Following the creation of the LSA category by the FAA in 2004, Stanford Business School alumni, former F-16 pilot and motorsport enthusiast Kirk Hawkins founded ICON Aircraft in Silicon Valley with Steen Strand.  The current team of engineers and production workers, many with experience working with Burt Rutan's legendary Scaled Composites company, has created the A5 LSA amphibian proof of concept aircraft.  Tooling for the production model A5 has been produced with partners Lotus Engineering and Cirrus Aircraft, and the first of four pre-production aircraft will be completed this year.  The Aero Experience visited the ICON Aircraft exhibit, and we were very impressed with the new design.  Here are some views of the A5 Systems Layout Model.