Icon Aircraft
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder(s) | Kirk Hawkins Steen Strand |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Key people | Kirk Hawkins, CEO Steen Strand, COO Matthew Gionta, CTO |
| Industry | Aviation |
| Products | ICON A5 |
| Employees | 15 |
| Website | www.iconaircraft.com |
ICON Aircraft is a Southern California aviation start-up focusing on the design and production of aircraft to make aviation more accessible to the general public as a form of recreation rather than merely transportation.[1] It is currently focusing on the refinement and development of the ICON A5, an amphibious light sport aircraft, which it hopes will be regarded by customers as a form of recreational vehicle akin to a jet ski or ski boat.[2]
Contents |
History
ICON Aircraft was founded in 2005 by Kirk Hawkins and Steen Strand, who met in a class at Stanford University while pursuing graduate degrees there in business and product design respectively.[3] Hawkins had previous flown F-16s in the United States Air Force and Boeing 767s for American Airlines and founded Icon Aircraft in response to the 2004 Federal Aviation Administration establishment of the light-sport aircraft (LSA) class of license.[4] Strand's background is in product design, marketing, and finance; and he started Freebord, an innovative skateboard company based on his product design master's thesis.[5]
Financing and Organization
ICON Aircraft completed its A round financing (design phase) in June 2006 and its B round (prototype phase) in July 2008. The third and final round of financing is on track to close by the end of 2009. [6]
Models
A5
Main article: ICON A5
ICON Aircraft's first model is the ICON A5, an amphibious 2-seat, light-sport aircraft to be priced at USD $139,000. Its folding wings facilitate transportation and storage, and it will have a range of approximately 300 nautical miles and a top speed of 105 knots (120mph).
So far the company has received over 430 orders [7] and anticipates customer deliveries will occur in the third quarter of 2011.[8]
Future Models
ICON Aircraft has also acknowledged the possibility of releasing additional models in the future, including a non-amphibious, seaplane-only model. It has announced its intention to focus on the light-sport aircraft market, possibly with additional models in the future.[9]
Facilities
ICON Aircraft's headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California. It also has an engineering facility in Tehachapi, California, where the design, building, testing, and refining process is occurring. The nine-person Tehachapi team includes aerospace engineers, fabrication specialists, and an administrative assistant.[10]
ICON has said that initial production will start in California but may move to a different state. [7]
Directors and Advisors
Directors
- Vern Raburn - Founder and former CEO of Eclipse Aviation
- John Dorton - CEO and president of MasterCraft
- Jim Ellis - Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Advisors
- Bruce Holmes - Former director at NASA
- David Kelley - Chairman and founder of IDEO
- Esther Dyson - Journalist and entrepreneur, President EDVentures
- Ilan Kroo - Professor of Aeronautical Engineering, Stanford University
- Steward Reed - Transportation Design Chair at Art Center College of Design
- Troy Lee - President, Troy Lee Designs
- David Beach - Professor of Manufacturing, Stanford University
References
- ^ "Guest Speaker: Bringing The “Sport” Back To Flying (Kirk Hawkins)". Plane & Pilot Magazine. http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/pilot-talk/more-pilot-talk/guest-speaker-bringing-the-sport-back-to-flying-kirk-hawkins.html?start=1. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Start-Up Wants A New Audience To Take to the Air". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121323321950366689.html. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Just Plane Fun". Stanford Magazine. http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2009/mayjun/pc/icon.html. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ "The Ultimate Flying Machine: Sexy as a Sports Car, Portable as a Jet Ski". http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/17-01/mf_icon_air?npu=1&mbid=yhp., Wired Magazine.
- ^ "Freebord Design Process". Freebord Manufacturing. http://www.freebord.com/main.html. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ AOPA Pilot: "Starting a Revolution". August 2009. Retrieved on 2009-11-17.
- ^ a b "Backstage With A Rockstar". Plane & Pilot. http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/lsas/backstage-with-a-rock-star.html. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "ICON Aircraft News". ICON Aircraft. http://iconaircraft.com/news.html. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "ICON company FAQs". ICON Aircraft. http://iconaircraft.com/icon-the-company.html. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "Soaring Sales for Sport Plane". Tehachapi News. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/80630. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
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
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