The splash heard ’round the LSA world continues to send out ripples, though it’s been years now since startup LSA maker Icon Aircraft first announced, with considerable marketing fanfare, its amphibious light sport amphibious project, the A5. *** Now comes word today from the company that’s it’s just completed a “demanding regimen of spin-resistance test flights. This milestone will make the A5 the first production aircraft in history to be designed to and completely comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s full-envelope Part 23 spin-resistance standards developed from NASA’s work on the topic.” *** The lengthy release (a PDF file) goes on to enumerate the general cost in lives and hardware to civilian flying from stall/spin accidents, and cites its intentions to “design the A5 to the more difficult to achieve but safer standard of ‘spin resistant,’” as opposed to spin recoverable. *** Icon also conformed its testing regimen to the FAA Part 23 standard for certified aircraft.
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Electric-Powered Light Aircraft
Flying with Juice
As an airplane approaches, a whirring sound accompanied by a
barely discernible whine and a mild propeller buzz exhibit a
Doppler effect as the plane passes overhead. What is that curious noise?
We are intimately attuned to internal combustion engine sounds –
some experts claim they can identify the brand and size of an engine
simply by listening to it run. We’re less aware of electric motor noises
because we quickly tune them out. Electric motors run everywhere in
our lives – in our refrigerators, our computers, in our ceiling fans, and
numerous other appliances. Most motors – it’s incorrect to call them an
“engine” – are exceptionally quiet, and that’s a good thing.
One wonders if relatively quiet electric motors on aircraft will invade
our piston-powered world, especially given noise sensitivity at many airports.
Some say, “We’re about to see if electric works.” I say, “We’re seeing
it right now!”
Two years ago, I wrote about ultralights – literally Part 103-compliant
ultralights – operating remarkably well on electric power.1 In the ensuing
months, more projects have been announced.
Icon’s Mission of Outreach
Icon’s Mission of Outreach
ICON Aircraft calls itself “a consumer
sport plane manufacturer.”
Kirk Hawkins, an
accomplished engineer, former
U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot
and avid power sports enthusiast,
founded the company. After learning
of the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) major regulatory
changes in ’04 that created
the light sport aircraft category
and sport pilot license, Hawkins
conceived his enterprise in ’05
while attending Stanford
University Business School.
Since then, ICON Aircraft’s sole
purpose has been to bring the freedom,
fun, and adventure of flying
to all who have dreamed of flight,
whether they are existing pilots or
other recreation enthusiasts.
ICON Aircraft believes that consumer-
focused sport aircraft can
do for sport flying what personal
watercraft did for boating. “ICON
aircraft are not only designed to
deliver an amazing and safe flying
experience, but also to inspire us
the way great sports cars do,”
explains the company.
A venture-backed, early stage
company out of Silicon Valley,
ICON Aircraft based its operations
in Southern California,
which is a hotbed for aerospace
engineering, automotive design,
and power sports activities.
Icon Aircraft’s A5 Seaplane
Growing “Out of the Box”
A large number of current pilots
have some sense of foreboding
regarding the dwindling numbers
of the pilot population. Many feel powerless
to change this fact, what
with our airports often surrounded
by a 10-foot-high
chain link
fence topped
with barbed wire
plus prices for training
and airplane ownership
out of reach for many
Americans.
An Eye for the New
Airshow visitors with an
eye for the new may have seen ICON
Aircraft and their gleaming silver-and-accent-red A5 seaplane at
Oshkosh AirVenture ’08. The company’s displays have attracted as
much attention as their aircraft design.
ICON’s A5 is a handsomely stylish Light-Sport Aircraft design.
Airshow visitors had good reason to pay it attention. Many gawking
attendees found A5’s “wow factor” off the charts.
But the story here is much more than the aircraft, fetching though it
is. The real ICON story is that of a company trying to bring aviation
and flying to people who don’t have a pilot’s license.
Sebring’s Record Crowds, Brisk Sales & Sunny Skies
The eighth running of Sebring just finished and a resounding success it was on nearly all counts. A few dour faces noted exhibitors were off a rather modest 5% (according to officials) but in every other category, smiles were broad from most attending or exhibiting at Sebring 2012. *** The weather was the best ever with temperatures hitting 80 degrees and every day was sunny and pleasant. My colleague, Jim Lawrence, presents many interesting points in his January 21 article. Here I’ll add my own views and experiences and both of us will have more in the days ahead. *** Metric #1 — Attendance set an opening day record on Thursday the 19th, surprising many, though perhaps expectations were low after the last three years of economic sluggishness. On Friday evening, airport manager Mike Willingham told me an all-time Sebring Expo record was set on the second day and judging from the thick crowds clustered around nearly every booth and filling the walkways, that was easy to believe.
Electric Aircraft Development Alliance Takes Form
A wide range of people sat in a room used all day long by the ASTM Committee that develops the LSA certificate standards. Apparently sitting in a room all day — while the sun shown brightly and the flying would have been great — was not enough punishment for this hard working crowd. Indeed, nearly 30 persons willingly stayed into the evening. What drove such dedication? Electric-powered aircraft. *** The G-30 assembled to work at forming the Electric Aircraft Development Alliance (EADA), a brand new industry organization specifically aimed at electric-powered aircraft. Representatives came from Sikorsky, Yuneec, Pipistrel, Sonex, Alternair, Electra One, Cessna, Bye Aerospace, Lockwood Aircraft, Embry Riddle, FAA, EASA, LAMA, and others. LEAP, the Lindbergh organization, lent energy to help assemble the group and, indeed, they drew a number of people that had not traveled to Tampa, Florida for the ASTM meeting.
FK Lightplanes Earns SLSA #123: FK12 Comet
As they’ve done numerous times, Hansen Air Group — a team of dedicated pilots, nearly all of whom fly or formerly flew airliners for their day job — has helped shepherd another Light-Sport Aircraft through the ASTM standards process to get a FAA airworthiness certificate. The Altanta area importer has done this with several aircraft including some Tecnam models, Sky Arrow, and Peregrine. In recent months, Hansen took over U.S. import duties for FK Lightplanes, which has facilities in Germany and Poland. *** Welcome to SLSA #123, the dashing FK12 Comet biplane. FK12 is the first-ever biplane to win SLSA approval, the second qualified LSA for FK Lightplanes, and the second LSA type to arrive in the USA for aerobatic flight (the first was the Snap from SportairUSA). FK12 made a first official U.S. appearance in the LSA Mall at AirVenture 2011 (as did Snap).
Electric Whirlybird Flies!
Anyone still in doubt that we’re in the midst of the birth of electric flight need look no further than this story, just posted today on the online tech zine Gizmag.Pascal Chretien, an enterprising electrical/aerospace engineer and chopper pilot, made the world’s first fully electric helicopter flight in the prototype he designed and built almost entirely by himself…in just 12 months! Hang glider and ultralight trike pilots will delight in hearing a weight shift control system is involved. *** For me, the big story here is once again we see that innovation lives, not just in megabuck corporate and government R&D departments but in the garages of individual megabrains as well…as it always has and we can expect always will.Chretien, in making his 2 minute, 10 second test eggbeater flight, threw whipped eggs in Sikorsky’s face since that aviation giant’s well-funded electric project, in development for some time now, has yet to fly.
A Pair of New SLSA Arrive Before AOPA Summit 2011
Just in time for this year’s AOPA Summit, welcome to a pair of Special Light-Sport Aircraft, numbers 121 and 122: the first, the formerly named NG 5 LSA, rebadged as the Bristell Fastback by importer Liberty Sport Aviation of Pennsylvania; and the second being the fourth approval for Pipistrel, specifically for their Sinus motorglider (previous Pipistrel approvals included the Virus, Virus SW, and Taurus). *** NG 5 LSA was not previously offered in the U.S. though it was sold in Europe as the NG 4 from Roko Aero. When Roko closed its doors production stopped for the NG 4. It became NG 5 as the company reformed into BRM Aero. Changes occur in any industry but Bristell Fastback designer, Milan Bristela, is a steady hand on the joystick known for his foundational work on the SportCruiser (for a year known as the PiperSport) that is presently ranked #2 in U.S.
Electric Whirlybird Flies!
Anyone still in doubt that we’re in the midst of the birth of electric flight need look no further than this story, just posted today on the online tech zine Gizmag.Pascal Chretien, an enterprising electrical/aerospace engineer and chopper pilot, made the world’s first fully electric helicopter flight in the prototype he designed and built almost entirely by himself… in just 12 months! Hang glider and ultralight trike pilots will delight in hearing a weight shift control system is involved. *** For me, the big story here is once again we see that innovation lives, not just in megabuck corporate and government R&D departments but in the garages of individual megabrains as well…as it always has and we can expect always will.Chretien, in making his 2 minute, 10 second test eggbeater flight, threw whipped eggs in Sikorsky’s face since that aviation giant’s well-funded electric project, in development for some time now, has yet to fly.
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