38 | AUGUST 2019 FLYINGMAG.COMAD
VE
NT
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ES
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W
AT
ER
ICON A5
PRICE AS EQUIPPED $389,000
ENGINE ROTAX 912IS (100 HP)
PROPELLER SENSENICH THREE BLADE
SEATS 2
LENGTH 21 FT. 9 IN.
HEIGHT 7 FT. 7 IN.
USEFUL LOAD 430 LB.
WINGSPAN 34 FT. 9 IN.
WING AREA 135 SQ. FT.
MAX CROSSWIND 12 KNOTS
MAX GROSS WEIGHT 1,510 LBS.
EMPTY WEIGHT 1,080 LBS.
PAYLOAD 370 LBS.
MAX USABLE FUEL 20 GAL.
MAX OPERATING ALTITUDE 15,000 FT.
MAX RATE OF CLIMB616 FPM
MAX SPEED 95 KCAS
HIGH SPEED CRUISE 84 KTS
MAX RANGE 427 NM
STALL SPEED, FLAPS UP 45 KCAS
STALL SPEED, FULL FLAPS 39 KCAS
BEST ANGLE OF CLIMB 46 KIAS
LANDING OVER 50 FEET 1,150 FT.
TAKEOFF OVER 50 FEET 1,060 FT.
Above: Pilots
barely know
they’re on the
water when the
Searey is on the
step.
Opposite: Not too
many seaplanes
can double as a
picnic table after
you beach them.
flies seaplanes very high, so the point might be moot.
There’s no vertical speed indicator in the A5, which I
thought could make setting up a specific descent rate
a little tough. Flight controls are managed by a control
stick between each seat. Landing gear, water rudder and
f laps are electric and handled with switches on the nicely
appointed center console that also includes a removable
Garmin 796 touchscreen navigator.
Icon builds airplanes to order and, as of the end of
June, had shipped more than 100 airframes. Curry
says a new airplane would take about five months to
build and be ready for delivery. Icon also offers f light
training for a Sport Pilot certificate and Icon A5
logbook endorsement.
A LITTLE WATER FLYING
Flying two airplanes for the same story presented a
challenge because, while each is designed for the basics
of fun on the water, they’re really aimed at different
customers. The Searey is an older, more basic seaplane
design where everything about the machine is out there
in the slipstream to create drag—the wheels, the spon-
sons, the wing struts. The Icon looks as if it emerged
from a 3D printer with hardly a sharp edge any where.
The Searey f lies faster than the Icon, but that’s because
it has a more powerful engine. The A5 was created
for a more aff luent pilot who loves the clean, smooth