Icon Aircraft
Encyclopedia
ICON Aircraft is a privately-held American
aircraft design and production company. It is currently focusing on the refinement and development of the ICON A5
, an amphibious light sport aircraft that is scheduled to begin production in late 2012.
establishment of the light-sport aircraft
(LSA) class of aircraft and Sport Pilot certificate class of pilot. The company was founded in 2005 by Kirk Hawkins and Steen Strand. Hawkins had previously flown F-16s in the United States Air Force
and Boeing 757
s for American Airlines
. Strand's background is in product design, marketing, and finance, and he founded Freebord
, a skateboard company. The two met at Stanford University
in a Product Design class in 1993.
A proof of concept
aircraft was built in 2007-2008, and made its first flight in July 2008. The company publicly launched the A5 in Los Angeles at a private event on 11 June 2008. ICON has also acknowledged the possibility of releasing additional models in the future, but maintains that it will focus on the light-sport aircraft
market.
ICON Aircraft has completed three rounds of equity financing. It completed its A round in June 2006 and its B round in July 2008. A $25 million C round was closed in June 2011.
and coverage in mainstream media shows significant interest from outside the aviation community, and ICON has reported that 35% of its customers are not pilots.
, an amphibious 2-seat, light-sport aircraft
to be priced at approximately USD $139,000. Its folding wings facilitate transportation and storage, and it will have a range of approximately 300 nautical miles (555.6 km) and a top speed of 105 knots (120mph).
The company has assigned nearly 700 positions as of August of 2011, and anticipates that production will begin in the fourth quarter of 2012.
. It also has an engineering facility in Tehachapi, California
, where the design, building, testing, and manufacturing processes are occurring. ICON has said that production will start in Tehachapi, California
but will move elsewhere in the future.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft design and production company. It is currently focusing on the refinement and development of the ICON A5
ICON A5
The ICON A5 is an American amphibious light-sport aircraft being developed by ICON Aircraft. A concept aircraft was flown in 2008 but production has not started.-Design:...
, an amphibious light sport aircraft that is scheduled to begin production in late 2012.
History and Financing
ICON Aircraft was founded in response to the 2004 Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
establishment of the light-sport aircraft
Light-sport Aircraft
A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...
(LSA) class of aircraft and Sport Pilot certificate class of pilot. The company was founded in 2005 by Kirk Hawkins and Steen Strand. Hawkins had previously flown F-16s in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
s for American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
. Strand's background is in product design, marketing, and finance, and he founded Freebord
Freebord
A freebord is a type of specialist skateboard designed to closely simulate the behavior of a snowboard. They have 6 wheels - two spring locked castor wheels on the central axis, and four slightly raised conventional wheels. The central wheels are able to turn freely in all directions, which allows...
, a skateboard company. The two met at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in a Product Design class in 1993.
A proof of concept
Proof of concept
A proof of concept or a proof of principle is a realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory that has the potential of being used...
aircraft was built in 2007-2008, and made its first flight in July 2008. The company publicly launched the A5 in Los Angeles at a private event on 11 June 2008. ICON has also acknowledged the possibility of releasing additional models in the future, but maintains that it will focus on the light-sport aircraft
Light-sport Aircraft
A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...
market.
ICON Aircraft has completed three rounds of equity financing. It completed its A round in June 2006 and its B round in July 2008. A $25 million C round was closed in June 2011.
Strategy and Positioning
ICON Aircraft positions the A5 with a recreational focus, claiming that ICON competes with powersports vehicles such as ATVs, motorcycles, watercraft, and snowmobiles, rather than other airplanes. ICON CEO Kirk Hawkins said “it’s not about the usual metrics of speed, range, payload, altitude, and complex cockpits. It’s about getting you out there and interacting with your world.” ICON’s media debut in Wired (magazine)Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
and coverage in mainstream media shows significant interest from outside the aviation community, and ICON has reported that 35% of its customers are not pilots.
Products
ICON Aircraft's first model is the ICON A5ICON A5
The ICON A5 is an American amphibious light-sport aircraft being developed by ICON Aircraft. A concept aircraft was flown in 2008 but production has not started.-Design:...
, an amphibious 2-seat, light-sport aircraft
Light-sport Aircraft
A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...
to be priced at approximately USD $139,000. Its folding wings facilitate transportation and storage, and it will have a range of approximately 300 nautical miles (555.6 km) and a top speed of 105 knots (120mph).
- ICON A5ICON A5The ICON A5 is an American amphibious light-sport aircraft being developed by ICON Aircraft. A concept aircraft was flown in 2008 but production has not started.-Design:...
The company has assigned nearly 700 positions as of August of 2011, and anticipates that production will begin in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Facilities
ICON Aircraft's headquarters are located in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It also has an engineering facility in Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
, where the design, building, testing, and manufacturing processes are occurring. ICON has said that production will start in Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
but will move elsewhere in the future.
Directors
- Bart BechtBart BechtBart Becht is the former CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, a company he headed since its creation in 1999 through the merger of Benckiser with Reckitt & Colman. A Dutchman, he read economics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and took an MBA at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus...
- Former CEO of Reckitt BenckiserReckitt BenckiserReckitt Benckiser plc is a global consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of household products and a major producer of consumer healthcare and personal products... - John Dorton - CEO and president of MasterCraftMasterCraftMasterCraft is a United States manufacturer of luxury high performance boats that was founded in 1968 and is currently headquartered in Vonore, Tennessee...
- Jim Ellis - Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of BusinessStanford Graduate School of BusinessThe Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
, founder of AsurionAsurionAsurion Corp. is the largest global provider of wireless handset insurance and wireless roadside assistance programs. Asurion also offers data-backup services through wireless carriers in North America. The International Headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and the North American... - Satyen Patel - Former head of Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
in AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population... - Vern Raburn - Founder and former CEO of Eclipse AviationEclipse AviationEclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet....
Advisors
- David Beach - Professor of Manufacturing, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
- Philip M. ConditPhilip M. ConditPhilip Murray Condit is an American businessman who was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Boeing company from 1996 to 2003.-Education :...
- Former Chairman and CEO of BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001... - Esther DysonEsther DysonEsther Dyson is a former journalist and Wall Street technology analyst who is a leading angel investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and commentator focused on breakthrough innovation in healthcare, government transparency, digital technology, biotechnology, and space...
- Journalist and entrepreneur, President EDVenture - Bruce Holmes - Former director at NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
- David Kelley - Chairman and founder of IDEOIDEOIDEO is an international design and innovation consultancy founded in Palo Alto, California, United States with other locations in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston, London, Munich, Shanghai, and Singapore, as well as Mumbai, Seoul, and Tokyo. The company helps design products, services,...
- Troy Lee - President, Troy Lee Designs
- Stewart Reed, Transportation Design Chair, Art Center College of DesignArt Center College of DesignArt Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
External links
- http://www.iconaircraft.com/
- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121323321950366689.html
- http://www.iconaircraft.com/discovery-video.html
- http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4268411.html
- http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/17-01/mf_icon_air
- http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/28/business/fi-funplanes28