VIDEO ENHANCED - ICON AIRCRAFT - SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE FLYING
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Park it right next to the SUV and in between the family sedan. If ICON aircraft has its way, their $139,000 plane will get more people into the skies than ever before. What allows ICON to do this….new FAA rules that allow for a sport pilots license. An SPL takes roughly 1/2 the time of a general aviation license and also about 1/3rd the cost, ICON hope this will introduce more people to aviation than ever before. We asked about safety and found that as part of the SPL, the plane isn’t allowed to go above 138mph, can only carry 2 passengers and can only be flown in good weather, during the day and not near a busy airport like Los Angeles International.
ICON hopes to have these planes in production and out to consumers by the end of 2010 and nearly 400 people have already dropped down the cash to own one of these planes. Testing takes place at several locations around Southern California and we caught up with the founders, technicians and test pilot at Lake Isabella in California near Bakersfield.
For additional video go to: ANYONE CAN FLY
The plane can take off and land on both water and land. It only takes a few football fields and the planes wings electrically fold back and lock into place so it can be towed on a boat trailer and then parked in your garage. What strikes me is not only the compact size, but the sturdy build. I have been around small planes all my life and have always wanted to get my private pilots license, but the dash of a plane has always been a bit intimidating. This dash is lower, more like a car, so visibility is amazing. Also, there are only the essential gauges, no IFR stuff needed since with a sports plane you can only fly on a clear day.
