SportairUSA has been named the U.S. importer and distributor for the iCub, the Light Sport Aircraft bush plane manufactured by Zlin Aviation. The iCub evolved from Zlin’s Savage Cruiser and Classic taildraggers. It is built to ASTM LSA standards and fitted with the iPad aviation information center as standard equipment. SportairUSA will debut the iCub at AirVenture 2010 in Oshkosh, July 27 through Aug. 1.
“As electronics get smarter and more reliable, the line between aviation and consumer products is disappearing,” said Bill Canino, president of SportairUSA. “The iPad is a case in point. The aviation applications available for the iPad are remarkable, and the selection and quality are improving every day.”
“We designed the iCub for safety, performance and carrying capacity and with a passion for flying,” said Pasquale Russo, CEO of Zlin Aviation. With tandem seating and 565 lbs. of useful load, the iCub will haul more than other LSAs in its class, he said. Even the Bush iCub, with extended landing gear and heavier balloon tires, features 515 lbs. of useful load.
The central feature of the iCub’s instrument panel is a dock-mounted iPad, pre-loaded with the WingXPro7 moving map, ForeFlight Mobile HD and ForeFlight Charts, the iHUD heads-up-display and MotionX GPS HD, together with other apps that are useful in the air and on the ground for pilots who fly into the bush, or just around the neighborhood. The iCub is also equipped with backup analog airspeed, altimeter and inclinometer.
The iCub is a newly certified light sport aircraft from Zlin Aviation, evolved from its fleet of earlier taildraggers. The iCub features leather seating, cross-bracing in the tail and atop the cabin, reinforced landing gear attachments, panoramic door and window design, overhead skylight, wooden floors, upholstered baggage area, vortex generators and 18 gallons of fuel tankage, with an option to increase tankage to 24 gallons. The standard engine is the 2,000 hour TBO Rotax 912 ULS (100 hp), with full-time non-power-degrading carburetor heat, which provides short field takeoff and landing capability and climb rate exceeding 1,200 fpm. Several fixed and ground adjustable propellers are available to customize the performance of the iCub for varying missions.
The Bush iCub comes with 7-inch extended landing gear, performance brakes and 26-inch balloon tires designed for combined pavement and bush flying. Alaskan Bushwheels are available in 29 inch, 31 inch and 35 inch sizes. The iCub, with standard gear and tundra tires, offers a 565 lbs. useful load for about $93,000. The Bush iCub offers a useful load of 515 lbs. is available for less than $100,000.
SportairUSA is also the North American distributor for the Sting S3, StingS4 and Sirius LSAs, and for the SeaRey amphibian. For more information: iCub.aero or 888-FLY-SLSA.
