Only $389,000 for Icon A5

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MrMorden
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by MrMorden »

Warmi wrote:That video kind of settles it , doesn't it ?
Even if it was an engine failure , being so low and without any margin of error still would count as a pilot error.
Well he was low, but over open water in an amphibious airplane. Not sure that's unsafe, though he did have about 30-45° bank angle in at times. I only watched the video without audio, not sure if there was commentary describing anything further.

Certainly pilot error, but it's unclear to me how unsafe this was generally. I don't have a seaplane rating so I might be missing something about all this.
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Warmi
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by Warmi »

Yeah, me neither but it seems to me that regardless if this is over water or not , doing low level dives ( or in general "drastic altitude adjustment" ) seems like not the safest thing to do - not necessarily reckless but much more demanding and requiring skill and being on the top of ones game.
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TimTaylor
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by TimTaylor »

I would call what he was doing as "reckless." Look at the result. Now, if they determine some other mitigating cause, I may change my opinion. He probably made contact with the water at high speed flipping over. Or, he turned too soon and caught a wingtip.

Would you do that same maneuver in an ASEL over a runway? If not, why not?
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JAM_MAN
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by JAM_MAN »

Only if I was on fire and had no other recourse.
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

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foresterpoole
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by foresterpoole »

I'm sure the NTSB report and onboard flight computer (I believe Icon's have a version of this) will figure out all the details. A few minutes of video is hardly a smoking gun. All that to say this: this is the third accident this year with this model of aircraft. It's the second fatal accident if it's deduced this was als o"pilot error" I'm inclined to believe marketing has a bit to do with this. It's really marketed as a "jet ski with wings" and "so easy to fly." Based on evidence, neither of those statements are correct. Not every plane has to be as stable as a 172 or as slow as a cub, but when you market to "fun, fast, big boy toy" types your going to get adrenaline junkies, show offs and inexperienced folks who want to impersonate Chuck Yeager. I know the box canyon was their test pilot, experienced as he was he still was flying low and with an new employee/engineer in the plane I can't help but wonder if he was pushing the envelope on purpose to impress the guy. I guess time will tell, but I think you can put a fork in Icon as a manufacturer, rising costs, production delays and now multiple accidents are not good for a startup and would be the nail in the coffin of even an established company...
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by Wm.Ince »

foresterpoole wrote:. . . It's really marketed as a "jet ski with wings" and "so easy to fly." Based on evidence, neither of those statements are correct....
What "evidence" supports your premise that the iCon was not "easy to fly?"
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Warmi
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by Warmi »

foresterpoole wrote:.... I guess time will tell, but I think you can put a fork in Icon as a manufacturer, rising costs, production delays and now multiple accidents are not good for a startup and would be the nail in the coffin of even an established company...
I am thinking that too now .... bad publicity aside , given that these days trial layers can pretty much manufacture cases out of nothing ... with Icon having history of advertising this plane for the type of flying Halladay was engaging in ( safety videos or not ) when he died, vultures are probably already lining up.
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MrMorden
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by MrMorden »

Wm.Ince wrote:
foresterpoole wrote:. . . It's really marketed as a "jet ski with wings" and "so easy to fly." Based on evidence, neither of those statements are correct....
What "evidence" supports your premise that the iCon was not "easy to fly?"
I don't think his point was that it's not easy to fly relative to other LSA, but more the marketing seems to gloss over that this is a real airplane, and requires real piloting skills, is pretty technical like all airplanes, and requires commitment to master.
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by TimTaylor »

Becoming a good pilot also requires good judgement and decision making skills.
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by Wm.Ince »

MrMorden wrote:
foresterpoole wrote:. . . It's really marketed as a "jet ski with wings" and "so easy to fly." Based on evidence, neither of those statements are correct....
I don't think his point was that it's not easy to fly relative to other LSA, but more the marketing seems to gloss over that this is a real airplane, and requires real piloting skills, is pretty technical like all airplanes, and requires commitment to master.
Point well taken.
I have never flown one, although, recently, I did receive an invitation from iCon, for a demo ride. I just wasn't interested.
From all accounts I have read, the airplane is easy to handle and has friendly flight characteristics, throughout the whole flight envelope. No big surprises anywhere.

Now . . . what one does with all that . . . that may be another story.
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ct4me
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by ct4me »

More video from two weeks before the accident, showing more, worse, showboating...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -wife.html
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by Chemguy »

I tend to agree with MrMorden in that the advertising for this aircraft does tend to minimize the notion that it is, in fact, an airplane and requires piloting skills and commitment. Let's remind ourselves that a seaplane is,in fact, a separate licensing endorsement. I remember how during the development of the Skycatcher, it was marketed as an airplane for the common man though, it was clear, it was also being lined up for pilot training. This suggests that pilot training was one of its paramount intentions. Like the Skycatcher did, the Icon presumably has over 1000 orders taken. Like the Skycatcher, as well, many of these orders will probably be cancelled. In the case of the Skycatcher, I doubt that it was necessarily the price increase or the fact that it was produced in China that was the total cause of cancellations (as it is a neat little airplane though load challenged), rather, it was the realization upon the potential buyers that this activity (flying) does indeed require commitment and that piloting an LSA may, in fact, be somewhat more nuanced and weather dependent than they expected. For example, I was one of those who discovered the Skycatcher required a little more tlc (particularly landing) than does a 172. At the price tag of nearly 400K these, one would think, should be a tough sell. If I were going to go that route, I would rather buy a Cub (or similar) with all terrain tires and make my non airport (or non paved) landings on the grass rather than in the water, but that's just me.
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by foresterpoole »

Sorry I left that too vague, I think MrMorden did a much more concise job of summing it up on my behalf. That second video was pretty damning, along with a tweet:
"keep telling my dad flying the Icon A5 low over the water is like flying a fighter jet" not good!!!
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Re: Only $389,000 for Icon A5

Post by zaitcev »

I remain in a firm disagreement with the prevailing outrage. The video that TMZ posted showed absolutely no unsafe maneuvering, and the laymen in the boat had absolutely no clue as to what they were looking at. He was coming in their direction, then used the saved energy to zoom to a safe altitude, turned carefully to the opposite heading, then descended gradually back to the surface. It's really strange that so many actual pilots are no better than boaters at this.

It was exactly the type of the maneuver that I would've performed if I wanted to turn around within the confines of a bay or other safe area. Now, I would be concerned if I saw him doing the same turn within a wingspan or two off the surface. It's too easy to slip if there's not enough back-pressure and there's not much time to take wings level and recover if you get slow. Or, I would not like seeing him circling. That would invite a moose stall, which can happen to the best of us (that's how Shawn Lunt died - a bright young man that flew quite well, but alas didn't realize how dangerous that maneuver was). But the maneuvering in the video was quite benign.

What else? Comparison to a fighter? But of course. People compared Sky Arrow to a fighter, too. It's a pusher airplane that has visibility of a fighter.

Having said all that, I agree that showboating could be a factor. It's one of those things that take careful planning and discipline, and even so the risk is undoubtedly elevated when operating in a proximity to surface or objects. It just does not follow for me that there's a casual chain that so many people imply, or even claim. It's a pure observation bias fallacy.
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