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ICON Aircraft, a leading general aviation innovator and manufacturer, today announced enhancements to the 2024 ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft, which continues to set new standards for performance, safety, and versatility in the LSA market.

After nearly two years of rigorous R&D, testing, and production preparation, ICON Aircraft is excited to announce that it has increased the gross weight of the ICON A5 by 60 pounds, resulting in new useful load of 490 pounds. With the A5 burning less than 5 gallons of fuel per hour, this equates to an additional two hours of endurance or the ability to carry more baggage or heavier passengers. All 2024 ICON A5 Light Sport Aircraft will include this weight increase and the solution can also be retrofitted on previous models as part of an option package that includes a 4-Blade Lightweight Propeller from E-PROPS that delivers increased performance and additional weight savings.

“In response to feedback from our owners and prospective customers, we elected to undertake further research and development to test the airframe and fully understand what we needed to do to increase the useful load,” said Jerry Meyer, ICON CEO. “The solution is a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation, and a 60-pound increase is significant, especially in the LSA category.”

In conjunction with the gross weight increase, the 4-blade propeller that ICON announced in 2023 is now standard on all new A5 LSAs. Already gaining traction in the market from current owners looking to upgrade, the new propeller provides a 21 percent reduction in ground takeoff roll at sea level.

“The 4-blade propeller is a huge upgrade to my ICON A5,” said Santiago Masdeau, an ICON A5 Owner based in South Florida. “I’ve flown more than 100 hours with the original 3-blade and now I have around 20 hours on the new carbon fiber 4-blade one. Immediately, I noticed less vibration and noise, better acceleration, and improved takeoff distances. I’ve also experienced an increase on my cruise speed at 5,000 rpm and lower fuel burn. The entire experience is better, and it looks amazing too!”

The 2024 ICON A5 Limited Edition starts at $409,000, with the Garmin G3X TouchTM available as an upgrade. Additional options include autopilot, a Digital Attitude Indicator, a variety of Signature livery color options, and Sirius XM Weather.

ICON’s announcement of these improvements to the 2024 ICON A5 LSA comes on the heels of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granting Type Certification for the ICON A5 in the primary category, which is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire ICON team. Type Certification allows ICON to expand its market potential around the world, ushering in a new phase of growth and market presence. The Type Certified version of the 2024 ICON A5 starts at $434,000.

Looking ahead, ICON Aircraft continues to lean into its advanced composite manufacturing capabilities. In addition to building the A5, the company remains open to collaboration and contract manufacturing opportunities, fostering growth and innovation both in and out of the aviation industry.

https://www.iconaircraft.com/2024/02...ight-increase/

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...rows-60-pounds

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Wow! This is fantastic news.

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Has anyone asked Jimmy to do the retrofit for them (including the 60lb incr.)?

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What is not clear from reading the article, if you already transitioned to the 4-blade prop, do you get the extra 60 pounds, or is there more that needs to be done? Many Light Sport Aircraft can technically handle heavier than gross loads, but the gross max is a regulatory number (vs. an actual safe number for the aircraft.) It is anticipated that when Mosaic becomes law (perhaps as early as later this year) many Light Sports will immediately have higher gross max numbers. I had always assumed that the Icon would be one of them, so perhaps, later this year we will get a second bump upward? We all know too well this is very welcome news. How many times have we run the W&B calculation and concluded, "Ugh, I can only carry 7 gallons."

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I spoke with Gary Knight and he said if you already have the 4-blade, then it's an additional VG on each wing. Very simple and cheap. For me, the 4-blade addition took my Empty Weight to 1066.7, so my useful load will become:
1570-1066.7 = 503.3lbs
Woo Hoo!

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Another article on it:
https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/ico...fjNhqvxBP8uuKI

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Heard from James Andrews today, he is on this, getting the parts he needs to complete the transformation.

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Great information all…thanks for posting

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"it looks amazing too!"

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. I think the new prop looks chincy, somewhat unfinished, and anything but elegant in design. The blades are so thin and have no scimitar shape at all - even the end is flat and not a tiny bit curved. It is almost a constant diameter the entire blade length. When I first saw it on our plane it reminded me of someone putting their hair up with chopsticks.



That said I am pleased with the improved performance and noise reduction.

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I cannot wait!

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I cannot wait!

I will say, you will feel the improved performance on takeoff!

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awesome. Double bonus

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Let us know what the cost of the VGs are. There are 4 per wing from what I understand.

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Just got the email from Mandy scheduling my 4 bladed prop and useful load increase. Make sure you’re sitting down. $12,000.

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Yeah the prop mod I think is most of that. No word on the VG costs which is all you need if you already have prop. Mandy said they are currently updating the POH and then the installs will begin.

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I’d be curious to know because going back to the fall the quoted price for just the 4 bladed prop install was $6000. So obviously unless something has changed it’s $6000 more for the useful load increase and everything involved in that.

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I read it was10k for prop awhile back, so 6k is much better. I can’t see 4 plastic VGs being 6k (of course a tie down pin is $135 and the sump tool is $160, so we will see…). Mandy said until POH update comes out, they won’t start the mod.

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To be fair, Icon likely has engineering and flight test expenses they want to recoup as well. The MTOW increase in my Phenom was about $40,000, and it was for a placard I got the honor to apply in the forward luggage compartment lol.

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Wow! ??????

Yep, there would definitely be testing to recoup.

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Makes sense! 100 dollars a pound (better than Tuna!)

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Makes sense! 100 dollars a pound (better than Tuna!)

but at 12k, it’s 200 per pound

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[QUOTE=Ted Cohen;1120]but at 12k, it’s 200 per pound[/QUOTE



More tuna the better!

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12K - 6K for the prop means we pay 6K for the GW increase. I am good with that!

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12K - 6K for the prop means we pay 6K for the GW increase. I am good with that!

Agreed!! I think this finally makes the Icon a proper airplane where a pound or two isn’t the difference between going somewhere nonstop and getting to take along a friend!