Icon A5 Test Flight Review!!

[@chrisoleary9876]

Never thought I'd see Captain Steve flying...

[@Nunyabizn3ss]

Joke’s on you, it’s his identical twin, Captain Steeeve.

[@iconaircraft]

Thank you for taking a demo flight and creating this informative video on the ICON A5. Well done! We're thrilled that you got to experience what makes this aircraft easy, safe, and fun to fly.

[@BoatTEST]

We loved the ICON it was our pleasure and super fun to share with our audience!

[@philipo9624]

When this water bird was fist floated - the price was going be around $160K- now it's nearly $400K !

[@Keys879]

Yeah well, 5 years ago you could buy a 1970's C-172M for $25,000. Now they're $125,000. The whole industry is rotten.

[@pistonburner6448]

@@Keys879 The whole system of government regulation is rotten. Hell, even the 'chinification' of most manufacturing makes mostly domestic-manufactured airplanes more expensive.

[@mz22wa]

No blazer today but those fresh New Balances really give Steve that Corvette owner look 😂

[@Connor_Herman]

A video I didn’t expect to see here! Great in depth review, I don’t think I’d seen the procedure for folding/unfolding the wings before.
I’m sure it’s a fun plane for those at sea level but 100 HP won’t do much for you when density altitude is high. I saw a video of one trying to take off from Mead or Powell on a hot day and it barely made it off the water. Still, the Rotax was probably the best choice for fuel consumption and reliability.

[@pistonburner6448]

Unfortunately current regulations steer manufacturers, actually force manufacturers to sell underpowered aircraft. They don't really have a choice. I fail to see how that helps aviation safety at all...I'd think it is a detriment to safety.
I never thought that LSA was a good idea. Just a horrible band-aid that skewed the marketplace even further and never solved the problem of GA aviation costs at all...just made the problem worse!

[@pistonburner6448]

Now that Icon has a Type Certified version of that aircraft for sale (to enable international sales), I hope they can soon introduce different versions to take full advantage of not being constricted to LSA rules.
Increasing power, speed and other capabilities shouldn't cost almost anything after all those sunk costs, and might open up a whole new category of customers.

[@sjones4668]

Wow, the parachute was the icing on the cake! Sounds like you were pretty close to being a bird with all of the safety features. Nice demo as usual.

[@davidallen9526]

Captain Steve, awesome job man. I didn't know you were a sky lover too. I just sold my Flightstar IISL I've always wanted to combine my love of the water with my love of the sky.
What a wonderful addition to your many great videos.
I tip my hat to you sir!
Bravo Zulu Captain Steve

[@BoatTEST]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing your story. Will share with Capt. Steve!

[@eamonshields2754]

Perfect for hopping from South Florida to the Bahamas 🌴🌅🌊🏴‍☠

[@VMR41]

I’d love this!!! I can see myself flying from Florida to Bahamas.

[@A5JDZK]

Awesome little aircraft. Thanks for the demo.

[@mickey707a]

I watched this video because aftert flying the Icon A5 in Flight Simulator it tought it was way too easy. From what I can see here it really is.

[@53glowe]

Nice one Steve 👍

[@supersteve8305]

But will it pull a slalom skier? Haha Taking off is cool how it's a boat with bow up and then poof, it becomes a plane. Very neat plane. I love all the safety features as well.

[@sergedurivage562]

This plane should be in the next Bond movie
Very good video by the way

[@BoatTEST]

Love that! Thanks for watching!

[@PaulNyhart]

Great video -- glad you enjoyed the flight.

[@TheOriginalItchyman]

Yay Steve is back!

[@leecoleman822]

Happy Thanksgiving
Skipper 🇺🇸

[@BoatTEST]

happy thanksgiving!

[@foreverfixin]

The Akon A5 is a good aircraft there are cheaper options out there like the Sea Ray it comes in a kit and you can build it yourself the kit start somewhere around $100,000 which the Akon A5 is about 4 to 500,000

[@pistonburner6448]

So you buy a kit for $100K, spend 1000 hours building (1000hrs x $150 = $150,000), pay at minimum ~$50K for hangar space, tools, materials (or double that with all the flight testing, permitting, etc.?)...and end up with a kit plane after hopefully only 1 year of waiting. Is that really better?

[@foreverfixin]

@@pistonburner6448 I think so I think building a plane from a kit not for everybody you got to be pretty mechanically inclined

[@pistonburner6448]

@@foreverfixin Yes, that's why even if a kit plane costs for example $100,000 less (in total costs when finished) that doesn't mean it's a better deal.

[@foreverfixin]

@@pistonburner6448 the Sea Ray is a very established aircraft when done correctly one has flown around the world you can look it up if you want to

[@pistonburner6448]

@@foreverfixin I never said Sea Ray isn't airworthy. I said you didn't list the full price and all costs of the kit plane, didn't mention the difference in having to manage a build vs. just buying a complete, certified airplane complete with excellent customer service and training. You didn't point out the difference in (possibly) immediately getting a compete and certified Icon vs. having to spend around a year(?) to have a kit plane built and approved. There also is a difference in resale value of a kit plane and a certified aircraft.

[@etravix]

My dream Chesapeake bay toy to go with your Axopar review. I'm just finding out you're a fellow pilot too after years of watching your boat reviews. Cool 😎

[@MrJturner74]

I am sure a cartel would be interested in buying a couple. They look like they would be great for running drugs.

[@s3h3l3]

It's so cute 😍 I have a ICON A5 RC plane

[@BoatTEST]

Soooo cool! Tell us more!

[@s3h3l3]

@@BoatTEST Last Sunday, for the first time, I attempted a water flight of the RC ICON A5 and successfully completed my maiden flight. ^^

[@BoatTEST]

@@s3h3l3 well done!! 💥✈️🍾

[@jayesh5131]

@@s3h3l3 Thats so cute man 🤗

[@co4x4]

Whoa!

[@Baja383]

These are so cool! See them at osk kosh and Sun n fun every year

[@olygal8]

interesting and fun to watch...

[@clarencehopkins7832]

This airplane could have been a world wide success. $ $ management and too $

[@BaldwinBay]

Going to be a great Mega Yacht toy.

[@nobux717]

I thought these planes cost a lot more then they do. I thought like 4 to 5 million. Was one ever used in a James Bond movie? One additional safety feature to build in is to have the engine not start as well as the enunciator light come on if the wings aren't completely locked and latched.

[@crazygamingyt7245]

It’s about 389k

[@user-tk3lk8sv1f]

It was in a Tom Cruise movie. Knight and Day

[@lgriestra]

Wow!

[@sageakporherhe783]

I want one!

[@yellowtail.outdoors]

Your my favorite STEVE!

[@austinkaufman9402]

How can this cost 400k ??

[@zachansen8293]

You thought boats were expensive? Add another 0 for everything that flies.

[@eduardocruzo8607]

Try and buy a boat.

[@jorbedo]

When your own employees, crash or die on a very "safe" plane, something is very wrong at the company level, also very heavy for 100hp, they kept the engine to make some bucks but increased the fuselage weight.

[@Player-xi9dx]

The ICON A5 is VERY safe, it's just that its "car" approach causes some users to not drive it responsibly, including designers. If you design and build a car that meets all safety regulations but you crash it around a corner at 250km/h, it's not the car's fault. Even if something goes wrong the ICON A5 has excellent hovering ability and you can use a PARACHUTE! Which can save you if you are at least 500 feet up.

[@Avanger90]

How many of them crashed already ?

[@HoosierThrottle]

How many were pilot error?

[@Avanger90]

@@HoosierThrottle No Idea but the guy who designed Icon a5 also died in the fatal accident

[@M1911jln]

@@Avanger90 No, that wasn’t the designer. It was one of their demo pilots. He was being an idiot, flying it the way Icon marketed the plane early on - unnecessary low level flying into a valley adjacent to a lake. The valley narrowed and he left himself no way out - couldn’t climb enough to get out of the valley and it was too narrow to do a 180.

[@Avanger90]

@@M1911jln On April 1, 2017, a factory-owned A5 suffered a "heavy landing" on water near Biscayne National Park, Florida, which resulted in the sinking of the aircraft. Both the pilot and passenger were uninjured, but the aircraft took on water and submerged to its wings before being towed 8 miles (13 km) to a marina. This was the first official A5 accident.According to the NTSB report, the incident was caused by pilot error.
On May 8, 2017, a factory-owned A5 crashed on the shore of Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California, near the company's training facility. Killed in the accident were two Icon employees: lead engineer and chief company test pilot Jon Karkow, who was the pilot in command; and Cagri Sever, Icon's director of engineering, who was a passenger on the flight. Karkow had been involved in the design of the A5's folding wings as well as parts of the aircraft's control systems. Just prior to the crash the aircraft was witnessed maneuvering at very low altitude and entering a narrow canyon, when, at high power, it pitched up and rolled to the left, impacting terrain.The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the cause was "the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude." The board found no fault with the aircraft.
On November 7, 2017, retired Major League Baseball pitcher Roy Halladay was killed when his A5 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pasco County, Florida. Witness reports and NTSB data obtained from the aircraft's flight recorder indicate that he was engaged in low flying at the time of the impact.Halladay had taken delivery of his new A5 on October 12, 2017.His was the first of the Model Year 18 aircraft to have been delivered. On January 19, 2018, an autopsy revealed that Halladay had traces of morphine, amphetamine, and Ambien in his body system at the time of his death.The NTSB determined the probable cause to be the "pilot's improper decision to perform aggressive, low-altitude maneuvers due to his impairment from the use of multiple psychoactive substances, which resulted in a loss of control."
On July 30, 2019, Flying published an article regarding a takeoff accident in Littlefield Township, Michigan that injured the two passengers, noting "This is the fifth accident or incident of an A5 in 2019."

[@53glowe]

@@Avanger90 Not sure what point you're making here, perhaps suggesting the aircraft was at fault. The NTSB investigation revealed it was purely pilot error that resulted in the crash and fatality 🤔

[@thatguy8005]

This is very easy to fly…. Be careful and remember, it is a plane, not a jet ski.

[@zachansen8293]

Why would you talk about groundspeed when talking about whether a plane is in control at 4:00? You could be at -10 knots groundspeed and be fine. The only thing that matters when in flight is airspeed. If you don't believe me, maybe trust a pilot: th-cam.com/video/Lr-4YxlZS34/w-d-xo.html

[@direstrait5418]

A very very novel idea and proposal but flying isn't easy and never will be simple. Nice plane tho.

[@hines862009]

Would think this airframe would have serious wing ice issues if flown during non-summer months.

[@eduardocruzo8607]

There is always ice in Florida.

[@Keys879]

@@eduardocruzo8607 Lmao, well Carb icing CAN occur anywhere up to 70F, right? haha

[@pistonburner6448]

@@Keys879 Jesus H... You are absolutely wrong, carb icing cannot occur if you don't have carbs... The Icon A5's Rotax 912iS has fuel injection.
Are you disappointed that your slander and attempts to hurt that company didn't work? What made you think it's ok to try to slander and hurt others? Consider what it would be like for yourself and a company you built to be on the receiving end of such vile behavior, would that be fair?

[@dudscortez6403]

What is the range of this thing?

[@DubsBrown]

Pretty short. I think it’s less than an hour total flight time

[@BoatTEST]

The A5 is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine that gives it a top speed of 109 mph (176 kph) and the company says it burns less than 4 gallons per hour, giving it a range of 500 miles over land with a 45-minute reserve. It runs on 91 octane or 100LL aviation fuel.

[@zachansen8293]

@@DubsBrown Why didn't you just google it instead of guessing? 500 mile range at 100 mph (approx) seems a bit more than an hour. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICON_A5

[@eduardocruzo8607]

@@zachansen8293 It says it in the description. They can't read, I guess.

[@nasosnasos8054]

Price ?

[@Keys879]

If you have to ask.....

[@flacjacket]

Well the tow vehicles in the demo footage were a Porsche Cayenne and a Range Rover...

[@flacjacket]

I looked it up, it's $400k

[@georgedoolittle9015]

*"Your Boat don't fly, mister!"* sad but true. Solid throwdown to the Jet ski Market if pricing comes in and comes in on the down low bigly which i wouldn't rule out given #brazil in Florida manufactures, another business in Ilion, NY and yet another still proving out in New Zealand.
As with Tesla so too Icon needs to start pushing product absolutely true dat.

[@TJMartinek]

LED lights so there's no heat generated...? My LED flashlight set my pocket on literal fire. You're just not trying hard enough.

[@caryfriedman6935]

What a worthless report. This guy thinks that Groundspeed has something to do with a stall? He was amazed that at six knots groundspeed the plane kept flying. He does not have a clue. The Icon was a cute idea but a failure as a commercial product. The company will never make money and probably has a reasonable chance of folding in the future, the company, not the wings. I have lost a lot of respect for the author. I really liked his boat test reports in the past so now I am not so sure. There are many other LSA seaplanes and floatplanes that are a much less expensive option then the Icon and actually have better performance. Take this report with a very large grain of salt.

[@Player-xi9dx]

The Icon A5 has no rivals, any wealthy person would choose it for 500k over any other similar option for 150k because as good is priceless.

[@M1911jln]

I’m sorry, but I am very critical of this aircraft and of the manufacturer. Early on, Icon marketed this aircraft using videos that showed unsafe and irresponsible flying - significant bank angles at very low level over water. In fact, one of their demo pilots died in a crash at low level.
The aircraft has short range and is very expensive. It is effectively a toy, rather than a useful aircraft.
The panel design is horrid. Truly bad and just stupid. Look at the instrument panel of most other aircraft and what do you see? A flat piece of metal. Why? So that you can reconfigure and change out instruments as the aircraft ages and technology changes. The “automotive” style design of the Icon’s panel limits your ability to reconfigure it in the future. So in addition to the panel being more expensive to manufacture, it is less functional. That is egregiously STUPID.

[@53glowe]

Absolutely no one is forcing you to like it or buy it...and I'd bet you've never sat in one and flown it. Your opinion is largely subjective criticism, the instrument panel is no different to replacing instruments in a car dashboard. Lastly it has a range of 556 klms....sure it's not a cross country aircraft, but it's useful enough to fly 3-4 hour hops with a reserve.

[@pistonburner6448]

Uninformed, empty nonsense.

[@2011blueman]

Surprised this deathtrap is still around. The biggest issue with these is that they have a short and finite haul lifetime after which they become worthless pumpkins.

[@pistonburner6448]

Not a deathtrap, no "finite haul lifetime", you misinformation spreading evil troll. Why would you lie like that?

[@2011blueman]

@@pistonburner6448 What I wrote is correct. You should do even a little bit of due diligence before calling other people liars, because unlike you I actually know what I'm talking about. I'm a pilot that almost purchased one. The contract I was given had an explicit 20 year or 6,000 hour maximum haul life before it's a pumpkin that can't be flown. As for deathtrap just look at how many serious crashes and deaths have occurred compared to how many have been delivered, it's one of the most dangerous planes in the air.

[@pistonburner6448]

@@2011blueman No, what you wrote is not correct, liar. You tell me to do "due diligence" and yet you misrepresent a situation which you do not understand, which you spew incorrect facts about, and spew misinformation.
You are a liar: you never "almost purchased one". There was only one month or at the absolute maximum 2 months during which Icon had a purchase contract with an airframe life of 30 years, not 20! After that incredibly brief moment in time such a thing has NEVER again existed in the purchase contract! And now you're maliciously spreading misinformation in a purposeful attempt to use your lies to hurt the company, the company's owners, employees, even customers! How dare you lie like that?! Who the hell do you think you are?!
Exactly ONE customer has died (AFAIK, I can't be sure if the data I have has an update or if I have fully up-to-date stats), and he was on drugs as well as flying in a wildly illegal/forbidden manner. So your malicious slander about Icon being "a deathtrap" is also purely lies. Icon should sue you. Icon has no worrying stats whatsoever, especially for an aircraft targeted at a customer segment consisting overwhelmingly of beginner pilots.
You can't point out any features of that plane which would make it in any way even slightly dangerous or flawed. But there are a long list of facts which prove it to be especially safe. Just a few of those are its dedicated training program, strict contractual obligations, spin & stall resistance, safety instrumentation, very benign handling, reliable engine, etc. etc.

[@2011blueman]

@@pistonburner6448 You're either a 12 year old kid just attempting to troll, or you're the worst PR employee I've ever seen for any company in history. I noticed that you said exactly "one customer has died" as though all the other deaths don't count, and all the other serious crashes don't count. You're trying to spin the undisputed fact that the A5 has one of the worst safety records by any common measure (haul count, flight hours, etc.) of any airplane for sale today. Your "one month" statement is also an absurd and absolutely lie. The haul life clause was in the purchase contract for at least two years and is likely still there, I know it was in the contract during the Oshkosh 2014 show when I was first shown the contract, and I know it was in there until at least 2016 when it actually made headlines as to how onerous the contract was. They might have been shamed into modifying the contract, but I doubt it, and even if it's not there today we now we know you're 100% a liar.

[@pistonburner6448]

@@2011blueman You have been doing nothing but lying. I have pointed out your numerous lies, and pointed out all that you omit purposefully, as well as your general ignorance.
You originally wrote: "Surprised this deathtrap is still around. The biggest issue with these is that they have a short and finite haul lifetime after which they become worthless pumpkins."
Everything about that statement is lies, and I have proven them to be lies.
The only mistake I possibly made is when they began having those controversial clauses in their contracts, as I mixed up the date when they were publicly criticised as the date when they were added to the contract. Everything else I wrote is 100% accurate. And that changes nothing about you having spread nothing but lies.
You cannot point out any actual "large" number of crashes on that aircraft, nor benchmark that against any others of similar type. You cannot point out a single dangerous feature on that aircraft. You lie about their safety record and you lie about that plane being flawed in any way regarding safety. In reality it is an exceptionally safe aircraft, it genuinely stands apart in how safe it is and how seriously Icon takes safety! You even complained when they went too far in safety according to some people's opinions in their contracts!!
I have not seen any other statistics than Icon having two fatal crashes, one of which was company staff flying a plane which never went to customers, so was part of their internal flights, and was also rules 100% pilot error and in no way a fault of the aircraft! And the other was the famous customer flying on drugs and totally against the rules. If there are others after that then please inform me, as I have not received any updated stats.
You are also welcome to point out ANY kind of basis for claims of lacking safety of the aircraft itself. Go ahead: point out any features, attributes which make it in any way irresponsible, dangerous, poor in flight safety characteristics. You can't do that though, and that's why you haven't done that so far and will continue to spinelessly refuse to do that.
Even Icon as a company in their communications, with their dedicated training programs, and in their STRICT CONTRACTS clearly show how they are pretty much the most safety-conscious GA company at least I've ever seen! They literally will scare away clients like you with their incredibly strict attitude towards safety, with you complaining about safety costing you more money or restricting what you can do, while Icon is simply taking all these very strict measures purely for the safety of everyone.
You lie about the airframe life. You even refuse to acknowledge that the limit on airframe life had been removed in May 2016, and has never been there since. So you lie about being an expert, you lie that you know about Icon's contracts, then unbelievably underhandedly simply claim that "you doubt that they've removed that clause" even though supposedly you're an expert on Icon and their contracts!! You deliberately do that dishonest TRICK just to attempt to keep spreading misinformation about Icon's contracts, so you don't have to acknowledge that what you spread was a lie.
So go ahead, tell us:
-How exactly is the Icon A5 a "deathtrap" as you maliciously slander them?
-Does the Icon A5 contract contain a finite airframe life limit?
And bonus questions:
-Which aircraft of the same type is safer, and why is it safer?
-Why are you so aggressively belligerent against Icon, why do you so vehemently oppose contracts with very strict safeguarding of aircraft safety?
-Why do you try to characterise the one Icon-internal flight's crash as proof of the aircraft itself being dangerous when everyone has known for years that the FAA deemed it solely pilot error and found absolutely no fault in the aircraft, saying the probable cause of the accident was: "“the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s mistaken entry into a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain while at a low altitude for reasons that could not be determined.”
-We also know that one of the other incidents (apparently with no fatalities, only minor injuries) was the pilot landing on the water with the landing gear extended, so how does that make the Icon A5 dangerous?
-One further incident was the pilot making serious errors, trying an unconventional circular takeoff technique, and the cause being pilot error...so how is that the fault of Icon?
-The next accident I found was again deemed to be purely pilot error, as he tried to take off and only made it into the air on the fourth attempt, and the investigation concluded they were overweight as well as out of COG limits. Note that it's almost certain that it's precisely because of Icon's extremely safe flight characteristics that they had a 'soft crash' instead of stalling and plummeting from much higher...with Icon A5's stall and spin resistance leading to a happy result of no fatalities.

[@cigarmann]

Does it have a live well

[@jcme1205]

And what’s the draft?

[@pistonburner6448]

What would you need a live well for?

[@eduardocruzo8607]

What license do you need to fly A5?

[@SandViper94Gaming]

watch the video he explained it?

[@eduardocruzo8607]

@@SandViper94Gaming Thanks for the advice jerk.

[@Keys879]

@@eduardocruzo8607 Don't blame him for your laziness and lack of attention span lmao It's literally in the first 30 seconds of the video.