This is one hell of a cool concept plane! Check out the video!
The Ultimate Flying Machine: Sexy as a Sports Car, Portable as a Jet Ski
It’s really a huge step foward compared to small engineering looking planes.
$139,000 price tag? Can this be real?
Definately real. The lead designer Steen Strand gave a presentation on the design and business case at this years IDSA national conference.
My uncle has been doing a lot of work in the light aircraft area recently and has been brought on by the FAA to consult on the future of these aircraft. The reason it’s unique is the fact that it falls under the light sport field which means you need minimal training and seat time to fly. He currently has developed 2 light aircraft, one an ultralight trike and one an enclosed single seater that have gotten quite a bit of press coverage since they are fully electric.
Same premise, worse design, about $100k cheaper…the big reason no one has tried this in production yet (the Icon is still a concept) is the simple fact that it is an ultra high end sector of an ultra niche market. It remains to be seen, especially in todays economy if a $140,000 toy can make enough money to allow the company to survive.
It’s definately sweet though.