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ICON A5 Weight Exemption


paul m

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Now it gets interesting--looks like Icon got their exemption. Icon's owner experience (or should I say deposit holder experience) has been impressive I must say. You certainly get the feeling they understand they are selling a $200,000 luxury good.

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'Hopefully this will give some other LSAs some wiggle room. I'd sure like 50lbs more to off-set the 'chute.

 

'Don't quite understand "owner/deposit-holder experience as being impressive"... They put down a deposit, 5 years ago, and are told "any day now" for 5 years... impressive PR maybe.

 

I question the marketing.... "It's a jet ski for the air"... "look how simple our panel is"... What a rude awakening owners will have when they find out it's not simple, and they'll have to get a license like anyone else... a process that only about 20% ever finish. Nothing simple about it.

 

Tim

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Looks like their exemption is to go from 1430# to 1510# is for the added weight of:

 

1. The injected engine

2. the BRS

3. the spin resistance structure.

 

Given this, all CT's should get a BRS bump with the CTLSi getting the additional FI bump.

 

Anyone want to place any bets??

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I've read two versions of this. One says 1680, the other says they will only use 1510 of it because the exemption is only good for the weight of the three items I mentioned. If those 3 items were to weigh more, then they could go as high as 1680. This per Kirk Hawkins, Icons CEO as quoted in Flying Magazines online site. He said they only needed 80# of the 250# granted but that may be only for the spin resistant airframe.

 

Who knows? I only know what I think and that is FD and others should get some of this for the FI and BRS.

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"Other safety enhancements that the FAA considered in granting the petition included the A5's BRS ballistic parachute, angle-of-attack indicator and Rotax 912is fuel-injected engine. All of these added to the final weight of the A5 and, predictably, they also will result in a higher price. Hawkins said the new price of the A5 has been set at $189,000 in 2013 dollars, versus $139,000 when the airplane was first announced."

 

Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/lsasport/faa-grants-icon-a5-weight-increase#o4lEVrj3mZLuGA2Q.99

 

The article in Flying Magazines online site would suggest otherwise based on the quote above.

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Fast Eddie,

 

does your pusher overheat like a hotdog on a BBQ.?

 

No.

 

In fact, it has an adjustable baffle that can shut off air to the oil cooler to keep temps up.

 

Once leveled off in cruise, I normally close the baffle to try to keep temps up. In the winter, the temps actually stay too low, even with the baffle closed.

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It will be over $200k when you factor in CPI and the non-standard items. That's a tough pill to swallow for a recreational vehicle with limited cross country potential. Kirk ackowledges that in this quote:

 

"The airplane's gotten better, it has more features, and it costs us more," Hawkins told AirVenture Today in an exclusive interview. "There are probably some customers who'll say, 'You had me at $139,000, but you lost me somewhere between $139,000 and $189,000.' We understand that. We're not looking to hold anybody hostage."

 

Then again, a Carbon Carbon SS is about that and it has found an audience. I'm guessing Icon's annual breakeven production though is a wee bit higher than Cubcrafters.

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A water plane is great fun and can be excellent for fishing and camping. If you are flying sport pilot, your water choices are limited and all expensive so this may be a contender.

 

When we lived in AK I had a Lake Amphib. (LA4-200) for 3 years. I put 250 hours on it in 3 years with time being almost exclusively mid-May thru mid-Sept. This translates to 250 hr/year. I haven't consistently put that kind of time on any plane before or since.

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A water plane is great fun and can be excellent for fishing and camping. If you are flying sport pilot, your water choices are limited and all expensive so this may be a contender.

 

John, wanna guess what the baggage capacity is going to be? Doubt there will be room for a fishing pole (and I mean weight wise). This isn't a backcountry hauler, it's a jetski for pilots. Great fun yes, but tough to justify at $200k IMHO. For all it's fun, I don't think it's good value vs a new CTLS and its capabilities.

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I hope to see one one Thursday.

 

To consider...

 

...I recall Lake Amphibians were brutally expensive to insure.

 

Why? A botched water landing could easily lead to a total loss.

 

Interesting to see what rates will be for the Icon.

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http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/July/29/ICON-exemption.aspx

 

http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/AOPA/Home/News/All%20News/2013/July/FAA_ICON_Decision.pdf

 

"The FAA received 103 comments during and shortly after the requested comment periods that were considered. Four of these were duplicate submittals. Of the submissions, forty-five (45) commenters were in favor of the petition submitted by ICON and fifty-four (54) commenters were in opposition to ICON’s petition."

 

"Twelve commenters suggest that this petition, if granted, would give ICON an unfair advantage over other LSA manufacturers and would not benefit the public."

 

"Twelve commenters suggest that this petition, if granted, would give ICON an unfair advantage over other LSA manufacturers. Generally, the FAA does not take a position on whether a grant of exemption may provide ICON with a business advantage over its competitors. Under 14 CFR Part 11, any individual or entity may ask the FAA for relief from the requirements of a current regulation."

 

I encourage you to read the entire document. Icon tried to get the FAA to force all Icon pilots to get company training, to get Icon mechanics to get Icon training, and to require all pilots to use an Icon data recorder. The FAA denied those requests.

 

The AOPA article says the FAA said if other SLSA manufacturers want weight exemptions, they should file their own petition.

 

So.....I suppose every one will. Then, I suppose my 1320 airplane will lose value compared to a 1480 or some other number. Next, the Ercoupe buys and Champs with STC's will want to be called LSAs.

 

 

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