When I hit the play button on this video, I was ready to pounce on every syllable of marketing hyperbole. Instead of half-told truths, I got a concise, comprehensive show & tell on what makes an airplane stall, why it’s bad for everybody involved, and how the full-envelope stall resistance of the Icon Aircraft A5 improves safety.
If this is what aviation marketing looks like when it’s controlled by test pilots and aeronautical engineers, we need more of it. First, they didn’t get all mathematical and speak in Greek letters about the different aerodynamic aspects of stalls and spins. They used words everyday people would understand and married those words to video that made each point.
Comparing the side-by-side results of stalling the A5 and Cessna 150 and applying full right rudder when holding full aft stick, and then rolling into 30-degree banks, was genius. So was a comparing the A5’s stall descent rate (1,000 fpm) with a skydiver under canopy (1200 fpm). It’s probably no accident that these examples meet the Part 23’s spin resistance parameters.
And remember, this is a light-sport aircraft, certificated to ASTM standards, not Part 23. But Icon has decided to go the extra mile, and that in itself is worth something, especially these days, when doing the bare minimum (or less) seems to be the standard at so many businesses in every field. In closing, the video touted the spin-resistant amphibian as a trainer, which it will likely be, but its video is certainly an educational winner. —Scott Spangler