Icon Aircraft has increased the gross weight of its amphibious A5 light sport aircraft (LSA) by 60 pounds, and the useful load is now 490 pounds. With a fuel capacity of 20 gallons, this boosts full-fuel payload to 370 pounds, giving owners more loading flexibility or up to two hours of additional endurance. The A5 is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912iS engine that burns less than five gph.
The gross weight increase is standard on all 2024 A5s and it is available as a retrofit on earlier models. The retrofit requires upgrading to the four-blade propeller that Icon introduced last year, which reduces ground takeoff roll by 21 percent.
“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 Icon CEO Jerry Meyer. “The solution is a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation, and a 60-pound increase is significant, especially in the LSA category.”
The A5 has a starting price of $409,000, and options include Garmin G3X Touch avionics and autopilot, SiriusXM Weather, and custom paint schemes.