ICON Aircraft

Icon Aircraft CEO Kirk Hawkins shared a computer depiction of events leading to the crash of an A5 flown by factory chief pilot, Jon Karkow. From A5’s onboard black box Icon engineers assembled a second-by-second path for the ill-fated Light-Sport Aircraft. The data showed speed, power settings, flap position, and more. According to the Napa […]

Normally we elect not to delve into accidents on ByDanJohnson.com but where it can be instructive and when readers are keen to learn more — and when we have direct information — discussing such matters can be useful. To say the last month has not been good for Icon Aircraft would be a gross understatement. While the […]

More than any other one light aircraft company tends to resemble a Silicon Valley company (indeed, they are not location too far away, in Vacaville, California). Icon Aircraft markets like the big tech companies with compelling messages, visually striking images, and impressive airshow displays (albeit almost exclusively at AirVenture). They’ve managed to capture all kinds […]

DeLand Showcase — The eighth annual Midwest LSA Expo occurred in early September in Mt. Vernon, Illinois at the municipal airport. While lacking the immense crowds of the major airshows, it regularly draws a good number of exhibitors as those representatives report they sell airplanes at these more intimate events. Smaller gatherings allow more face […]

Article Updated 9/7/15 — See new information at the bottom of this article. Coming up TOMORROW! — September 8-9-10, 2016 — is the Midwest LSA Expo. I’m on-site for all three days in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. More info: Midwest LSA Expo. Only six years after Steve Jobs proudly announced the first iPad, the tablet device […]

On a conference call with aviation media, Icon Aircraft sought to mitigate blowback from the 40-page contract announced just before Sun ‘n Fun 2016. Plenty of people took them to task and several position holders reported dissatisfaction with some of the more burdensome aspects of the lengthy legal document. “We [messed] that up,” CEO Kirk […]

The Video Pilot Report below may be one of the most anticipated VPRs my video partner Dave and I have produced. I did the flying at AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 on Lake Winnebago in late July, but because Icon preferred to provide the video footage, it has taken some weeks to put it all together. Production […]

Shows like Sebring and Midwest LSA Expo are known for being great places to demo fly a Light-Sport or light kit you may be considering to buy. They earned that reputation because it is typically much easier to fly at those lower-key, less crowded events than at giant shows like AirVenture. However, some companies make […]

The ICON A5 is finally here, and it’s even better than expected

ICON A5 SPECIFICATIONS Standard Base Price: $197,000 Price As Flown (ICON 100 Founders Edition): $247,000 Engine: Rotax 912 (100 hp) (optional 912 iS) Seats: 2 Gear: Retractable gear Gross Weight (lbs.): 1510 Useful Load (lbs.): 430-550 Fuel Capacity: 20 gal usable Fuel: 91 octane auto gas or 100LL PERFORMANCE Fuel Burn: 3.8 gph @ cruise […]