Hiflyer 129 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Reading around, I have noticed people kind of laughing at the "Flying Car" being shown in the MSFlight promotion pics making their way around the web. I have even seen comments on how stupid and unrealistic it was, and I was surprised when I eventually found out that it was, in fact, an actual vehicle. It actually seems kind of cool! Just wondering if Aerosoft (or whoever) might ever be interested in also having a try at it. http://www.iconaircraft.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingnut 2 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Devon, The people who are calling it a "Flying Car" are clueless in regards to the aircraft. The Icon is an LSA amphib that can be trailered behind a vehicle. As you have found out, it is a very real aircraft. The last couple of years, Icon Aircraft has had their aircraft at Oshkosh-Airventure and I have actually sat in the cockpit of their demonstrator aircraft. I have also witnessed a flight demonstration of the aircraft at the Oshksosh-Airventure Seaplane base. It is an amazing performing aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Fletcher 570 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hello Marty, Does it really serve any practical use though. Not like you can take the wife and kids along, but then is that good or bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Hello Marty, Does it really serve any practical use though. Not like you can take the wife and kids along, but then is that good or bad Since it says "Light Sport Craft" on the manufacturers website, I would assume that it is meant as a recreational vehicle, right in there with Jet Skis, ATV's, Powered Hang-Gliders and all manner of other impractical premium vehicles mostly used on weekends. As with all of those, it looks like extravagant fun. I would not be surprised to find them available for rental at high-end resorts one day. Or taking the place of the Manhattan helicopter ride, for tourists. (I am trademarking that last idea!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 For me, it has all the hallmarks of the Aptera - a triumph of marketing and investor funding over actual, practical engineered production. Anyone seen a picture of the production line? Spoken to an employee who actually works on customer aircraft? It's an LSA that first flew in 2008 yet four years later still hasn't even found a home, much less founded a customer delivery schedule. In the same timescale many other actual aircraft manufacturers have pictured, designed, built, flown, certified and production-engineered actual aircraft delivered to actual customers. Hell, I even built my own aircraft in less time. The biggest headline Icon can come up with is that they are the aircraft of choice in MS Flight - a product which is a caricature of what a real aircraft simulator should be... Anyone else see the irony..? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Smith 1116 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Simon so true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Time will tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingnut 2 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Does it really serve any practical use though. Not like you can take the wife and kids along, but then is that good or bad The LSA category is not a family hauler type aircraft cateory. It is designs conform to the ASTM International’s F-37 Light-Sport Aircraft Committee Consensus Standards, which were accepted by FAA in 2005. It is more of a recreational category. http://www.sportpilot.org/learn/final_rule_synopsis.html As of June 2011, Icon Aircraft has over 500 orders and plans production in the 4th quarter of 2012. http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-06-30_icon.asp In August 2011, they announced that they received another 143 new orders in the week of Oshkosh-Airventure. http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/lsasport/icon-scores-big-airventure Simon, as to your comment about taking so long to produce the aircraft, there are flight sim developers that seem unable to produce a sim aircraft in about the same time. I personally would rather see a company take their time and produce a quality product the first time, then rush something out, killing some people and go back to the drawing board with a redesgin. This aircraft is one my wishlist for purchase in the next five years. Just like flight sim products, I am not a first adopting at release time and will wait to see what happens if and when Icon starts producing this aircraft. My alternate purchase will probably be the Flight Design CT series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I drew the analogy with Aptera with consideration: Between mid-2007 and August 2008, Aptera Motors has received around 4000 refundable deposits for the Aptera 2e and Aptera 2h[33] from California residents, approximately two thirds of those for hybrids. The rate of accrual of new deposits has slowed dramatically in the wake of the onset of the 2008-09 recession and the oil price crash. As of January 2010, the number of unique deposits tracked at the unofficial Aptera forum has surpassed 5000. Accounting for cancellations, it was stated by the company that, by mid-March, there were only 3,100 deposits remaining The similarities with Aptera and Icon are both thought-provoking and worrying. It does not take a fully-funded startup four years to produce an LSA. Icon A5 does not contain any significant new technology. It simply repackages what has all been done before. The plain fact is that if they haven't made any after four years, the chances of them making any and selling them in the midst of the recession and with General Aviation very much on the back-burner is slim-to-outside. Especially when other LSA's are being brought to market, put on sale and actually purchased by the previously potential customers for the Icon A5 then they're stuffed. Interestingly, at least ten new LSA designs started after Icon, yet are already on sale... that does not bode well for Icons' share of the recreational spend market in the near-to-mid term. It just smells like another Aptera waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hmmmmm........... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snave 466 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 You wicked thing you Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingnut 2 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Update on the Icon flight testing. http://www.eaa.org/news/2012/2012-02-16_icon.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted February 19, 2012 Aerosoft Share Posted February 19, 2012 Has there ever been a seriously successful push prop aircraft? I can't think of one and I can think of many reasons why it is problematic. Not having smooth air coming into your prop creates a sh#tload of issues. From noise via lack of propulsion to vibrations. As always, if you see something that's not normal there might be a lot of good reasons why it is not done more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempelhof 44 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 What about the Piaggio Avanti? It's not huge seller I guess, but that might also due to the rather small market segment it aims for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Beechcraft starship, And the Rutan long-ez....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alehead 126 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Don't forget the KCFS SeaBee, made famous by James Bond: The Man With the Golden Gun. It is currently already on offer for FSX from another smaller developer, mind. A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 I had actually asked once if Aerosoft would consider doing the Starship, and somebody pointed me to another site that was apparently working on one. As far as I know, those people have disappeared, or at least I cant find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deetee 12 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Has there ever been a seriously successful push prop aircraft? I can't think of one and I can think of many reasons why it is problematic. Not having smooth air coming into your prop creates a sh#tload of issues. From noise via lack of propulsion to vibrations. As always, if you see something that's not normal there might be a lot of good reasons why it is not done more. Hi guys, what about the Seamax? http://www.seamax.com.au/ There is also an X-Plane version by Jrollon who make the CRJ. http://www.jrollon.com/Seamax.html Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiflyer 129 Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hi guys, what about the Seamax? http://www.seamax.com.au/ There is also an X-Plane version by Jrollon who make the CRJ. http://www.jrollon.com/Seamax.html Dave. Seamax looks like the Icons cousin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB 11 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Let's just take a Devil's Advocate look at the Icon - it is a pretty plane for an LSA. Very pretty. The wing folding makes it practical for loading on a small trailer, so it can be towed as easily as a glider. The planned cost is not that much, so it will appeal to the lower budget sports pilot. Also - they have some very serious people on the Icon staff, heck, even I recognise the name "Phil Conduit" and I am an Airbus man... All you declaimers saying it hasn't progressed in several years - have you actually tried to get an aircraft certified for safe and legal flight? Even companies with CLOUT like Airbus and Boeing need to fly the 'arris off just one or two "proofs of concepts" before the authorities will let them go into production. Even the first A321 took a couple of years to start selling in "market qualntities". So don't knock thinks when a really small company tries to get their new plane on the market - they have a LOT more work before they can go into mass production. Although.... jumping on the Microsoft Flight bandwagon may not have been a very wise move. I can see it now: Oh... they needed extra advertising for their game, so they built a real plane from the game... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB 11 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Oh yes... some German gent has made an Icon A5 for FSX already. I believe it is in the Avsim Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerosoft Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558 Posted February 29, 2012 Aerosoft Share Posted February 29, 2012 Seamax looks like the Icons cousin. Looks like the Icon ugly uncle. Say what you want but the Icon looks very slick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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