Aircraft
Icon Updates A5 with Four-blade Propeller
New propeller improves takeoff performance
Icon A5 Astra Red livery
The new Astra Red livery available for buyers of Icon Aircraft's A5 light sport seaplane. (Photo: Matt Thurber/AIN)

Icon Aircraft unveiled a new four-blade propeller for its A5 amphibious light sport aircraft (LSA) this week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The company is also offering a new color option—Astra Red—as part of its Signature Livery design, bringing the number of such A5 designs to seven.

The new composite propeller weighs eight pounds less than the original three-blade composite propeller and has blades with a narrower chord but the same diameter. Icon is offering the new propeller as an option on new A5s and as a retrofit for the existing fleet, both priced at under $5,000. Benefits of the four-blade propeller include improved takeoff distance by 10-12 percent, less vibration, and quieter operation.