Successfully Completes Spin-Resistance Testing To FAA Part 23
Standard
The ICON A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) has
successfully completed a demanding regimen of spin-resistance test
flights. This milestone will make the A5 the first production
aircraft in history to be designed to and completely comply with
the FAA’s full-envelope Part 23 spin-resistance standards
developed from NASA’s work on the topic. Spin resistance is a
major safety-enhancing feature for light aircraft and can
significantly reduce the number of loss-of-control accidents
resulting from stall/spin scenarios. Seventy percent of all General
Aviation accidents are attributed to “Pilot Related
Factors,” making them the most significant cause of fatal
accidents according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
(AOPA) Air Safety Institute’s 2010 Nall Report. The report
also found that as much as 41% of these pilot-related fatal
accidents are due to stall/spin loss-of-control scenarios.
The FAA requires that Light Sport Aircraft must be either
“spin recoverable” or “spin resistant.”
While virtually all light aircraft in production today are
“spin recoverable,” ICON chose to design the A5 to the
more difficult to achieve but safer standard of “spin
resistant.” Additionally, ICON chose to complete these tests
to the rigorous FAA Part 23 standard for certified aircraft.
Globally recognized spin-test pilot Len Fox flew the test flights,
which included over 360 test cases with a wide range of control
positions, power settings, and centers of gravity.
“The ultimate goal of spin resistance is to provide an
aircraft that is stable and controllable in roll and yaw when held
in a stall, even with adverse control inputs,” said ICON
Aircraft VP of Engineering Matthew Gionta. “We’re
excited to announce that after many months of exhaustive design and
flight testing, the A5 has achieved this standard.”
ICON’s spin-resistant design is based on work done at NASA
during the 1970s and 1980s. Using results from those studies as a
base, ICON engineers created a cuffed wing design that employs
multiple proprietary airfoils across the span of the wing.
Additionally, these specialized airfoils used for spin resistance
were not suited to the no-flap wing design ICON had previously
planned to use on the A5, so ICON engineers chose to reintroduce
wing flaps to preserve takeoff performance on the water.
“Other production aircraft have attempted to achieve spin
resistance to the Part 23 standard, but no conventional production
aircraft without canards has ever completely succeeded due to the
sheer complexity of this problem,” Gionta added.
“Although there are other aircraft that have incorporated
some spin-resistance characteristics, such as the Ercoupe,
Jetcruzer, Cirrus SR20/22, and Cessna Corvalis, the A5 will be
unique for being the only production aircraft in history to be
designed to and completely comply with the full-envelope Part 23
spin-resistance standard.”
“I’m incredibly proud of our engineering and
fabrication team,” said ICON Aircraft CEO Kirk Hawkins.
“While creating a full-envelope spin-resistant airplane was
extraordinarily difficult and took longer than we expected, it was
absolutely the right thing to do for safety and is a game-changing
innovation. Delivering an aircraft that provides excellent control
throughout the stall while being resistant to entering a spin
dramatically raises the bar for light aircraft safety by decreasing
the likelihood of inadvertent stall/spin loss of control by the
pilot. This is especially important at low altitude where the
majority of sport flying will occur. This is just another example
of ICON going above and beyond the call of duty to deliver not only
the world’s coolest sport plane, but also one of the
world’s safest.”
Hawkins added that, “The FAA played a significant role in
facilitating this achievement by permitting the visionary new Light
Sport Aircraft (LSA) category and Sport Pilot License (SPL). The
freedoms provided to manufacturers by these new standards allow
more innovation with less onerous, expensive, or unnecessary
regulations. LSA and SPL are shining examples of how well-designed
regulations can stimulate a market to innovate new products and
solutions, both of which are essential to ensuring a healthy future
for General Aviation.”
At present, ICON is working aggressively on production
preparations, including design for manufacturing, component and
material selection, and production-facility preparation.