ICON Aircraft‘s A5 light-sport aircraft is now on display at a luxury car dealership in North Miami Beach, Florida.
ICON partnered with Prestige Imports to include the LSA in the Prestige Imports 2.0 showroom as part of the Prestige Aviation division.
“Together, ICON Aircraft and Prestige Imports will introduce adventure flying and personal aviation to customers who until now had likely never considered becoming pilots,” company officials said.
The plane will be displayed in the dealership showroom next to high-end exotic vehicles such as Paganis and Lamborghini.
“Our customers crave ways to enjoy life and unlock what was believed to be unattainable adventures,” said Brett David, CEO of Prestige Imports. “Since 1977, we have come to deeply understand the South Florida luxury lifestyle and the ICON A5 fits perfectly. The partnership with ICON reinforces Prestige Imports’ dedication to luxury transportation on land, air and sea.”
“This partnership with Prestige Imports reinforces our mission to redefine what it means to be a pilot and expand the bounds of personal aviation,” said Mike Farley, VP of Sales and Marketing for ICON Aircraft. “Much like the exotic cars in the showroom, the ICON A5 is unreal. Flying with the windows out, wind in your hair, is a visceral experience. The ICON A5 enables you to explore the planet in ways you’ve only dreamed about.”
Through the end of April 2019, ICON is offering a special Mentor Pilot Program that includes up to $15,000 of credit toward an ICON flight instructor in the first year of ownership with the purchase of an A5.
I worked with the company and conducted the initial certification R&D Flt testing for the two prototypes. You may have guessed that I worked for the FAA at the time. Their engineering test pilot came from Scaled as did a number of talented engineers and technicians. I was always worried about how this plane was being advertised to the public. An aircraft is not a sport car or a RV toy. These a flying machines that if mishandled will bite you. Lastly, the highest time pilot that flew all the initial flights got bit with a passenger along side on a demo flight.
I am curious as to why many have comments that they do not like this aircraft ? The A5 has pushed design and technology. It has brought flight to a new market. I will admit that their marketing has gone to far towards unsafe practices, showing low level manoeuvres that are a recipe for disaster in the hands of anyone but a seasoned orvtest pilot. As we more flight towards the autonomous future, we need companies to move beyond the traditional aircraft design.
Sad to see haters sitting in the comment sections of articles. They are often the Monday morning quarterbacks or the couch cowboys that never make it past their dimly lit basement in their moms house. Keep being stodgy aviation blow hards …you’re the reason people don’t enter aviation.
It works both ways.
My subscription to several aviation magazines put me
on the publishers list of “people with money”, so my wife and I were invited
to the “Autobahn Race Track” outside Joliet, IL to drive some high performance
cars.
Cadillac CTS, Mercedes AMG, and several Porches.
My assumption was that they assumed, since I read airplane magazines, I must own one, and therefore, I must have money.
The only assumption they made correctly was that I owned an airplane.
But we got to drive a lot of cool cars, and they served lunch.
Love the airplane, hate the price. Its an LSA for heaven’s sake.
It’s cruises slower than an SLSA. It is an absurd proposition. They know it, so they try to sell the sleek body design and build a myth of speed and agility.
proven formula for disaster
inexperienced thrill seeking public with more money than brains
clearly a safety based marketing plan
and of course the rest of ga will b blamed
$300K? I’ll take two. You wouldn’t believe the amount of money that is sloshing around in south Florida. Some of it is even legal. Charge what the market will bear? Guess what – the market will bear it.
$300K isn’t an unreasonable number for this product. Look what a new 172 costs. While the 172 is a more “useful” airplane, the Icon is a recreational vehicle so “utility value” isn’t what sets the price. People don’t buy a Lamborghini to complain about the lack of trunk space.
A 172 is also a bad buy and not a sea plane. Compare the ICON to any of the other SLSAs with or without floats. Also check out the Vickers Wave which is a direct competitor. https://www.vickersaircraft.com/
Compare the 172 to Cirrus SR20 or a Diamond DA40 or a Mooney Ovation. Less money, far faster and longer range.
$300k plus for a 172 is ridiculous too…
gbigs, you are so smart! Please let me run all my dreams past you for review before embarking.
The can’t sell them to pilots so they are going after luxury car owners now? I predicted long ago this silly near $300k idea would not be viable. Guess what?
Never a fan of this aircraft.