ICON A5 is an amphibious personal aircraft with folding wings

the ICON A5 is sporty, amphibious airplane that lets people fly above mountain ranges and speed over crystal clear lakes. the intuitive two-seater aircraft gives people a front-row seat view like at an iMAX, while allowing them interact and see planet earth in a visceral way.

all images © ICON aircraft

ICON aircraft’s ‘A5’ is designed by klaus tritschler, a yacht, motorcycle, and private aircraft designer who spent over 15 years at BMW group designworks. the curves and forms of the white-and-red personal seaplane echo the refinement of a luxury sports vehicle. the intuitive aircraft has foldable wings to give users the option of parking it in the driveway, or docking it in water. people can even sit on the ‘seawings’ platform and dangle their feet in the water, or relax on the wings and take in the scenic landscape. weighing just 685 kg (1510 lb) the featherweight ‘A5’ can be towed by a regular SUV to different locations. the rotax ‘912’ engine provides 100 horsepower and a maximum speed of 109 mph (175 km/h) up to 15000 feet in the air, while covering a range of 427 nautical miles.

the ‘A5’s’ amphibious seaplane’s streamlined cockpit is designed with novice pilots in mind, with dials and knobs kept to a minimum. it can be flown by anyone holding a sport pilot license – which takes approximately half the time to get compared to a standard license. removable side windows, and a lowered dashboard, mean the pilot can navigate visually, rather than having to rely on complicated electronic flight instruments. a garmin ‘796’ GPS moving map provides assurance that you’re heading the right direction.