AUGUST 2019 FLYINGMAG.COM | 37airplane continues climbing, he will
reduce flaps again to 10 and pitch for
best rate of 63 mph. The Searey air-
speed indicators are calibrated in
miles per hour, not knots.
The airplane includes two electric
pumps to ensure solid fuel flow to the
Rotax powerplant. Most important,
the Searey includes an electric gear
warning system announced with a
female voice through the Garmin G3X
whenever the f laps are lowered or the
airplane slows below 68 mph that con-
firms the aircraft is good for a water
landing or, of course, to check the
gear for arrivals on a hard-surfaced
runway. The airplane includes an
electric fuselage bilge pump that can
operate when the aircraft is on land.
A certified Searey Elite runs about
$169,000. Richter says ordering one
today means you’d be able to pick it up
in about four months.
Searey offers flight training
through the 10-member Searey f light
instructor’s association located in
various places around the United
States including Florida, Seattle,
Colonial Beach, Virginia, and
Stevensville, Maryland. The Searey
website also points pilots to locations
that will rent a Searey to those who
are properly qualified.ON TO TAMPA
I left Sun ‘n Fun a day early so I could
head over to Tampa’s Peter O’ Knight
Airport and visit with the folks at Icon
Aircraft’s East Flight and Delivery
Center, where I caught up with Warren“Angus” Curry, the region’s senior
director. A quick glance at the Icon
A5’s unique design confirms this LSA
is 98 percent carbon fiber. There are
no wing struts or outboard sponsons
or anything to clutter the pilot’s view
from the cockpit. Just an item Icon
calls a Seawing for added water sta-
bility is visible behind the cockpit.
That’s where the A5 hides the main
landing gear during water operations.
On land, the Icon is a tricycle-gear
aircraft with a castering nosewheel.
The 100 hp fuel-injected Rotax with
a pusher-style propeller sits inside a
sleek composite nacelle behind the
cabin, while the LED landing and taxi
lights are smoothly blended into the
nose of the fuselage. Folding wings
come standard on the A5.
Curry told me the A5’s empty
weight is 1,080 pounds, but it carries
a maximum weight of 1,510 pounds,
80 pounds greater than standard
LSAs. “We received a waiver from
the FA A since the added weight was
all focused on safety equipment, like
better spin resistance and a ballistic
parachute,” he says. The airplane car-
ries 20 gallons of fuel and cruises at
about 85 knots, 75 knots with the side
windows removed. That means two
160-pound people could depart with
nearly full fuel but no baggage. The A5
retails for $389,000.
Look inside the A5’s cockpit, and
you’ll think you’re about to hop
into a luxury sports car. You’ll also
notice that some of the flying-related
instruments look a bit unusual. At the
top of the panel on the pilot’s side, the
A5 includes an angle of attack indica-
tor as standard. When I asked Curry
about the Icon’s landing speed, he gave
me a rough number but admitted that
for him, an ex-Navy pilot, he really
only looked at angle of attack anyway.
The AOA of course is accurate at all
weights, speeds and load factors. Keep
its needle in the green, and all is good
on takeoff and landing.
The A5’s other instruments do
take a bit of getting used to. The non-
standard altimeter is graduated in
thousands of feet. That means f ly-
ing along at 500 feet agl barely moves
the needle. Of course, no one reallyLeft: The A5’s
fuselage looks
like it popped out
of a 3D printer.Below: The
Searey Elite is
an economical
seaplane to
purchase and
own.