Kelowna icon a5

[C.W.E.]

I completely agree with your pre-landing check. Professional and done religiously will prevent a potentially fatal mistake.

It did for me twice in my career, once in a heavy water bomber and once in a Cessna 206 amphibian.

[pelmet]

Icon's website is like they are selling cars. First thing they mention is the plane has a "control stick just like a fighter jet"

The funny thing is you could buy an actual (old though) fighter jet for less than an icon

Icon could be getting into some financial difficulties as they are slashing their workforce. According to the linked article, their prices have risen significantly. I visited their factory about a year ago. It is a huge warehouse that perhaps they were able to buy quite cheaply and convert into a factory. Still, it must have cost quite a bit. They mentioned about how they comply with California clean air standards. Something to be proud of but likely quite expensive. Mass production is how you cut costs, but the costs can be endless for something like this.

There was some kind of a share ownership program which sounded interesting. I hope it works out for them.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all ... dium=email

"Icon Aircraft is slashing its workforce by 40 percent as price increases for its A5 amphibious light sport aircraft have reduced demand"

"Customers had placed deposits for about 1,800 aircraft two years ago, but multiple price increases drove up retail prices to $389,000, and the company has struggled to convert deposits to sales. Icon has built and delivered about 100 finished two-seat A5 sport airplanes to date.

“Icon is currently structured for higher volume production,” said Thomas Wieners, Icon president. “We now have a very good understanding of costs. And while the Icon A5 is a truly exceptional plane, the necessary higher price lowers demand considerably and requires us to adjust the organization size as a result.”
Icon is cutting its workforce to 400 employees from 650, the company said. Icon is based in Vacaville, California, and has an assembly plant there. It also has a composite production facility in Tijuana, Mexico.
The A5 has received rave reviews from pilots who have flown the carbon-fiber, spin-resistant aircraft—but the company has been plagued by high-profile accidents, too. Designer Jon Karkow and a new Icon employee were killed in an A5 crash in May, 2017, and baseball great Roy Halladay lost his life in one six months later. Several more have been destroyed in nonfatal accidents. None of the mishaps have been blamed on the aircraft’s design or construction.
Wieners said the company had been delivering about five airplanes per month recently but will cut back with the workforce reduction. He declined to give any future production targets.
“We’re confident in Icon’s future and continued growth,” he said. “This is a necessary step. As the company grows, we’ll scale production and staffing accordingly.”"

[PilotDAR]

None of the mishaps have been blamed on the aircraft’s design or construction.

I would believe to be true. And, the page previously on the ICON website about low altitude operations seems to have been removed also. I'm sure that the plane is pretty good, and worthy of the favourable comments made about it. It's how some newer pilots were flying it which was concerning. I believe that if flown with appropriate caution, by a suitably trained and careful pilot, it could be as safe as any airplane operating in the same environment. If people see value in an airplane of that cost for the somewhat limited capability, power to them!

[rigpiggy]

That has worked for me since 1954 when I started flying amphibians.

Hey cat I didn't know Kermit had a sister

[pelmet]

Here is an example with a different type on how this can happen......a change of plans.

C-GJIB, an amateur built Searey amphibious aircraft, had taken off from a grass field and was
flying over Conestogo Lake taking photographs of the local area. The landing gear was down as
the pilot's intentions were to return and land back in the grass field. While flying over the lake the
pilot decided to land on the lake, but had not retracted the landing gear. Upon touchdown the
aircraft flipped over. Both occupants were rescued and the pilot received minor injuries. The
aircraft was substantially damaged.

Religious use of the checklist and thinking about desired gear position versus type of surface at that point in the checklist(with that idea written in the checklist) seems like a good idea for amphibious aircraft.