As evidenced by the Florida Powerboat Club’s annual Land, Air and Sea Poker Run to Key West, more than a few folks who own and drive high-performance catamarans, V-bottoms and center console also own and pilot aircraft. And that makes perfect sense, because for those with the means— and adventure in their souls—to have both, the tie in of piloting fast machines on and above the water is natural.
With their stunning—and relatively affordable—amphibious A5 airplane, the people at ICON Aircraft are hoping to “democratize” aviation.
So when I heard about the ICON Aircraft 100 A5 amphibious airplane priced at $257,000 (loaded with the “Premium Package”—base price is $207,00) and powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine—think Bombardier Recreational Products, the parent company of and power-supplier for Sea-Doo personal watercraft—it piqued my interest. True, it’s a bit of an offbeat topic for an offshoreonly.com column, but it’s not that offbeat.
Headquartered in Northern California, ICON began producing the A5 in July 2015. The two-seater falls into the Federal Aviation Administration Light Sport Aircraft category and Sport Pilot License requirement, which takes 20 hours of training and can be, according to ICON press materials, completed in two weeks. (ICON provides its own fee-based Sport Pilot License training course for the A5.)
and then